A Murderer's Granddaughter
by Kery J. Wales
Summary: Her grandmother renounced it.The green eyed boy from the bookstore uses it. And now she's a part of it. Magic. But it will cost more than she has to give, and expose secrets she never could have imagined. Welcome to Hogwarts Jessica. AU 5th year.
1. Introductions

**A/N:** I put this up once before but then took it down because no one read it. I have since then learned that it doesn't matter if this gets read or not. The whole point of writing a story is because the story demands to be written. 

Anyways, while I hope you like this I want you to know that if you see a part of it that needs improvement please do not hesitate to let me know. But no flaming please. Constructive criticism is welcome.

  


**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter, even if I wish I did. Nope it belongs to J.K. What does belong to me though is Jessica and if you steal her I will hunt you down and bug you until you give her back. Anyways, on to the story.

  


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**Chapter One: Meeting Harry Potter**

  


How Harry found himself in a Muggle bookstore is a somewhat long story. Apparently Dudley had been failing in his English class because one of his teachers had written the Durselys informing them that unless Dudley starting doing better in his classes he would be forced to flunk him. His mother, decided to drag him out to a bookstore to pick a few books for him to read. It had been the teacher's suggestion. Uncle Vernon was not about to stay in the house with Harry, nor leave him alone there so Harry had been dragged along. 

He walked aimlessly through the aisles of books and found himself in the fantasy section. Fantasies had been Harry's favorite before he had discovered that he was a wizard and all the things spoken about in the novels he loved were real. Still, he stopped to see if anything by his favorite author was there. As he scanned the shelves a girl stepped into the aisle and stood next to him, scanning the shelves herself. Harry spotted a new book by the author and he reached for it just as the girl next to him did. Their hands touched the book at the same time and surprised they both looked at each other.

"Sorry," the girl said, pulling away her hand. She smiled uncertainly. "Go ahead and take it."

"No," Harry said. He pulled it out and made to hand it to her. "It's all right; you can have it."

"I just wanted to read the back really quick," the girl said. Hesitantly she took it from him. She read over the back a moment and then she handed it back to him. "Sounds good," she said wistfully. 

"You can buy it if you want," Harry said. "I'm just browsing right now." In truth he didn't have enough Muggle money on him to buy it.

"I would if I could," she said. "I'm a pound short."

Harry found himself reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pound. "Here," he said. "I'm not going to buy anything anyway."

"Are you serious?" The girl eyed the money and Harry could tell she wanted to take it but her hands stayed at her sides.

"Absolutely," Harry said. The girl reached up slowly and took the money. 

"I don't even know your name," she said and there was a hint of embarrassment in her voice. 

"I'm Harry Potter," he said, holding out his hand. 

"Nice to meet you, Harry," the girl said. "My name's Jessica Banks." She shook his hand, and then she said, "So you're a fan of Ben Smith too, huh?"

"Yeah," Harry said with a small smile. "My favorite book of his is _The Magic of the Wild Ones_."

"I love that one!" Jessica said. "Isn't the hunter the coolest?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

He and Jessica kept up the conversation until they reached the front counter and they had bought the book. They walked towards the entrance still chatting. Then Harry looked up and saw Uncle Vernon tapping his watch angrily. 

"There's my uncle," Harry said. "I have to go."

"We should get together some time," Jessica said. "Look, why don't we exchange numbers really quick?" She was already scribbling her number down on the back of the receipt. She tore it in half and handed the half with her name and number on it to Harry. "Quick, what's your number?" Harry told her. She flashed him a smile and then she said, "Great! See you later, okay?" She walked out of the bookstore.

  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Jessica smiled to herself on the bus "home". That boy she had met in the bookstore, Harry Potter, was absolutely gorgeous. And he liked fantasy of all things! Not many boys that Jessica knew read fantasy books; in fact, several of them went so far as to insult her and the name of the book she was currently reading. It was extremely annoying; sometimes she just wanted to strangle them. Half of the time she wished she knew magic so she could cast some horrible spell on them but she knew that was wishful thinking. That was the kind of thing that would get her into trouble at "home".

Jessica climbed off of the bus. She lived with her grandma. Her grandma was strange, sometimes Jessica suspected she was crazy. But every time the inspector came around her grandma would suddenly become sane. 

Jessica didn't really hate living at her grandma's house but she often wished she lived elsewhere. Her grandma was very strict and when you add that to a little bit crazy bad things often happen. She knew it was unfair to think so unkindly of her grandma but she just couldn't help it. Her grandma had all these rules that were just weird. No going on trips in the wilderness of the northern part of the country, no going to King's Cross Station alone, no going on the underground alone. The last one Jessica could understand because just recently a girl about her own age had been found dead down there. The strangest rule of all was this: She must never talk or think about magic. Fantasy books were okay, as long as she understood that they were fiction. But otherwise, no magic.

Jessica returned to thinking about Harry as she entered the house. This was amazing. She'd gone out only to buy Ben Smith's new book and she had come back in love. She grinned wondering what sort of excuse she would need to call him. She shouldn't call him tonight, she knew that but it was such a tempting idea. Her sky blue eyes danced as she thought of telling her best friend what had happened to her today. Then her smile faded as she remembered. She and Nancy were no longer friends. 

About four weeks before school ended, Nancy had stared dating the most popular guy in the school. Suddenly her friend was too good for her. There was no more late night talk of guys and books. Just two days before they were let out for the summer, Jessica had finally confronted her friend. Nancy's boyfriend insulted her and when Jessica retorted, Nancy defended him. She then added her own insults and said that Jessica was too much of a geek. She and Nancy had called each other geeks before but when they had used it, it had always been a term of respect. Hearing her own friend use the word as an insult to her, Jessica had run off crying. Ever since then, life had sucked.

Slowly Jessica's smile came back. Well, she had met a potential new friend today. Harry Potter was bound to be loads better than Nancy. One, he was a guy and that made him dateable and two, Jessica got the feeling that he was the kind of person who didn't like having the attention focused on him and that meant he would never go preppy on her.

"What are you smiling about today, Jessica?" came her grandma's voice. Jessica looked up. Her grandma Eliza was standing at the foot of the stairs, a kind smile on her own face.

"Well Eliza, I thought I wouldn't have enough money to buy this book," Jessica said. Even though Eliza got a little kooky sometimes, Jessica told her everything. "Suddenly a miracle happened. Harry, this boy who was taking a look at it, gave me an extra pound so I could afford to buy it! He's one of Ben Smith's greatest fans too, can you believe it?! And the best part is..." Jessica grinned. "...he is absolutely gorgeous, and he gave me his number!"

"That's wonderful Jessica." Eliza smiled. "You should invite him over for dinner sometime." 

"Eliza, I just met the guy," Jessica said, halfway between exasperation and amazement. How had Eliza known that she had been considering doing just that? "If I call him too soon he'll think I'm a freak ok? I'll call him after I've finished reading the book."

"All right," Eliza said. Suddenly she embraced her granddaughter. "I'm happy for you dear. God knows you've been miserable these last few weeks." She released Jessica and turned to go, saying, "Supper will be ready in about half an hour."

Jessica ran to her room and stared reading the book. The sooner she was done with it the sooner she could call Harry. She read all night and fell asleep at two A.M. after reading the final page.

  



	2. Notification

**Disclaimer: **Once again, not mine, and it never will be.

  


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**Chapter Two: The Hogwarts Letter**

  


The next morning when Jessica woke up her thoughts immediately turned to Harry. Jessica would have jumped out of bed and called him right away if she hadn't forced herself to be reasonable. He probably wasn't even up yet. She would feel like such a dork if she called and woke him up. Jessica forced herself to take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast and water the garden before she let herself call him. 

Her fingers were shaking as she punched in the number. Her throat felt dry. What on earth was she going to talk about? It rang once...twice...a third time. Jessica was about to hang up, when a voice said, "Hello?" 

"Um, yes, may I speak to Harry Potter, please?" Jessica asked, her heart pounding in her chest. 

"Who are you?" the man asked. His voice held a note of alarm. 

"I'm Jessica Banks," she said. Sensing that the man wanted more she said, "Harry and I met at the bookstore the other day." 

"You're not from that school of his?" the man asked. His voice was still gruff but the alarm in it was fading. 

"No," Jessica said. Where had he gotten that idea? 

"Why do you want to talk to him?" the man asked her. 

Jessica got the feeling that this man didn't want to let Harry come to the phone. "Well, sir, that is something to be discussed between Harry and I," she said. "Quite frankly, it is none of your business." 

"How dare you-" the man started to say but just Jessica butted in. 

"I called to talk to Harry sir, I did not call to talk to you," she said. "If I had wanted to talk to you I would have asked for you. Now may I please speak with Harry? I promise you it is not about anything illegal or something of the sort." 

There was silence for a few moments. "Well, fine then," the man said in a very disgruntled voice. Jessica let out a mental sigh of relief. She'd been afraid that he wouldn't let her talk to him.

"Hello?" Harry said.

"Hi Harry, it's Jessica," she said, doing her best not to let her voice shake.

"Oh, hello Jessica, how are you?" Jessica noticed that his voice warmed considerably once she had said her name.

"I'm okay, what about you?" 

"Pretty good." Harry hesitated. "What'd you call about?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you'd like to have the book," Jessica said. "I finished it last night and I know you wanted to read it. It is partially yours."

"Uh, sure, yeah," Harry said. 

"Where do you live?" she asked. "I'll bring it over."

"Maybe that's not such a good idea," Harry said quickly. "Why don't you meet me over at the park?" He quickly told her where it was located. 

"Great," Jessica said. "I'll see you there." She hung up the phone, a grin spreading across her face. He wanted to see her again! Jessica knew that it was probably just the book he wanted but even if that were the case, she would be allowed to spend a short amount of time in his presence. Somehow though, she thought he actually wanted to see her. The way his voice had grown warmer when she'd said her name made her wonder and hope that it was true. 

Twenty minutes later, Jessica walked into the park. She looked around as she clutched the book to her chest protectively. She didn't see Harry. Then a woman moved near the concession stand and Jessica spotted him sitting at a table. He saw her and waved. She waved back and walked towards the table. As she neared it she saw that Harry was smiling. He had a nice smile and she felt herself smiling in response. 

"Hi Jessica," Harry said. She handed over the book.

"Hi Harry," Jessica said. He scanned over the back of the book.

"Is it any good?" Harry asked, looking up curiously.

"It's great," she said. "I couldn't stop reading until I was done." She yawned. "I was up past two last night."

"Really?" Harry said. "I've been up 'till midnight for the last three days." 

"Why?" Jessica asked, curiously.

"My teachers gave me a bunch of homework to do over summer break," Harry said. 

"Oh," she said. _Brilliant response Jessica,_ she thought to herself. There was silence for a moment.

Finally Harry asked, "Do you want to walk? I don't want to go back just yet and this is a bit boring."

"Sure," Jessica said. The two of them stood up, walking over in the direction of the path. She looked around. The sun sparkled down on the lake, which reflected the light all over. There was a light breeze. Jessica turned to look at Harry. 

"So," she said, "how old are you?"

"Fourteen," he answered. "I'll be turning fifteen in five days."

"Really? That's cool. I don't turn fifteen 'till October. So, what are you going to do for your birthday?"

"Probably nothing," Harry said, becoming a bit downcast as he said these words. "I imagine I'll be getting some gifts from my friends from school though."

"You should do something fun," Jessica said. "It's not everyday you turn fifteen, after all."

"My friends are all too far away," Harry said. "And my aunt and uncle don't..." He trailed off. 

Jessica nodded. "I understand." She looked out at the lake, thinking. What if she was to surprise him with something? From what she had seen of him so far, he was a pretty cool guy. He deserved a birthday party.

"So what do you like to do?" Harry asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Well, I like to read," Jessica said. "Just fiction most of the time though. There aren't very many non-fiction books I can read without falling asleep from boredom. I like to act as well. What about you?"

"I like to," Harry seemed to struggle with the words. He laughed to himself. "You know, I don't know. My aunt and uncle never take me anywhere and there isn't much to do around the house."

"There isn't much to do around my house either," Jessica said. "So instead I take the bus around town. My grandma doesn't have a car. It's better than having nothing to do though."

"I bet," Harry said. They were exiting the park. "I've run out of good excuses to not return home."

"I'll walk with you," Jessica said. "I haven't got anything better to do."

The two of them kept up the idle chitchat all the way to Harry's house. Somewhere along the way they got back onto the subject of Ben Smith's books. By the time they reached Harry's front doorstep Harry was claiming that his first book was the best yet and Jessica said that it couldn't be as good as his new one. 

"Look," Harry said. "I have the book up in my room. I'll go get it. You can read it and I'll read his new one. Then we'll see who's right." 

"Sure," Jessica said. "That's a great idea."

Harry opened the front door. He turned back to Jessica. "Come on in. You'll have to wait just inside the doorway...I'm not allowed to bring anyone upstairs to my room." 

Jessica followed him in. She shut the door behind her.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" A loud male voice bellowed. She recognized it as the person who had answered the phone. Loud thudding footsteps came thudding towards the entryway. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THOSE RUDDY..." A man stepped into the entryway, breaking off as he saw Jessica. 

"Jessica this is my uncle, Vernon Dursley," Harry said quickly. "This is Jessica Banks, the girl I met at the bookstore." He turned to her. "I'll go grab that book really quick." His eyes were apologetic as he turned and ran off up the stairs.

"Hello, Mr. Dursley," Jessica said. She stuck out her hand with her polite smile frozen onto her face. She didn't like this man at all but he was Harry's uncle.

"Hello, Jessica," he said slowly. He shook her hand. "You're a friend of Harry's? He's been behaving himself, I trust?"

"Yes, we're friends," Jessica said. "Don't worry, he's been a gentleman."

"Good," Mr. Dursley said. He seemed to be at a loss for words. Harry, coming back down the stairs with the book in his hands, broke the unpleasant silence.

"Here you go," Harry said. He handed her the book, which she took without looking at it.

"Thanks," she said. "Well, goodbye." Harry walked with her out the door.

"Now you see why I didn't think it was a good idea for you to come over earlier," Harry said. He sounded embarrassed. 

"Jeez, what a jerk," Jessica said. "No wonder. How do you stay sane living in a house with a guy like that?" 

"Well, I'm away at school almost all year, so the only time I have to deal with that is during summer," Harry said. 

"That's sacrilege," Jessica said. "I'm sorry."

"I'll survive," Harry said with a shrug. "Bye."

"Tootles," Jessica said with a grin. 

Harry looked at her for a moment. A small smile broke out on his face. "Tootles?" Harry asked. 

"It's my word," she said, her grin staying on her face. "It means goodbye."

"I like it," Harry said after a moment. "Tootles."

Still grinning, Jessica waved and walked off.

  


When Jessica came home, Eliza was sitting at the kitchen table holding a letter in her hands. She looked at Jessica as she walked in and she knew that something was wrong. Eliza's eyes had a haunted look to them, something Jessica hadn't seen since she had been little. She hadn't seen that look since her parents had died.

"Eliza, what's wrong?" Jessica asked. She hurried over to the table and sat down. Silently, Eliza handed her the letter. 

It read:

  


HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

  


_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

  


Dear Miss Banks,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We have recently found your name on our fifth year student list. It seems that you were overlooked on your first four years. We apologize for the mistake. Term starts on September first. We await your owl by no later than July thirty-first. Please find enclosed a list of supplies required.

When you arrive at the school please meet with the first years to be sorted. We hope to be seeing you at the school this year.

  


Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

_Deputy Headmistress_

  


"Oh," Jessica said. She couldn't think of anything to say. Her thoughts were racing. Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry? What did it mean, they awaited her owl by no later than July 31st?

"Your mother went there too," Eliza said. "There were some kids who couldn't leave her alone. She nearly dropped out because she couldn't take it." Eliza looked very sad. "I was a witch. But everyone I loved got hurt because of my magic. So I renounced magic."

"Is that why you never wanted me to think or talk about magic?" Jessica asked. Eliza nodded. "How far back is our family wizards?"

"Your great-grandmother was the first. She was Muggle-born," Eliza said. At Jessica's confused look she said, "Muggle is the wizarding term for non-magical people. She married a Muggle boy she knew. Your mother and father both went to Hogwarts."

"So grandpa was a wizard too, right?" Jessica said.

"Yes," Eliza said. She didn't say any more. Her lips were pursed and Jessica got the feeling that she'd said something wrong.

"So, is it all right-if I go, Eliza?" she asked.

Eliza looked at her tiredly. "Jessica, you've got four year's worth of work to make up. I can tutor you in some of it before you go, but I don't want you to go, only to fail. I want you to think about it here, just for a moment. Do you really think you can do this?"

"I think I can," Jessica said after a moment.

"Let me go up into the attic and look for some stuff okay?" Eliza said. "I imagine your supplies list is extremely long."

Jessica turned to look at the supplies list. A piece of paper slid out onto the floor. Jessica bent down to pick it up. She read it once silently then aloud.

"Dear Eliza," she said slowly, causing her grandma to turn around. "I know you have renounced magic but it is time your granddaughter discovered the world that is open to her. The protection spells have fallen away. She cannot be kept from her future. Do not blame yourself for his actions. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore." Jessica handed the note to her grandma. Eliza read it slowly.

"Eliza," Jessica asked hesitantly, "who is he talking about?"

"No one important," Eliza answered quickly, her lips going all pursed again. "I'll be right back."

  


Ten minutes later Eliza had found a stack of very old, very dusty boxes. Jessica sneezed and dust flew everywhere. Eliza opened one of the boxes.

"Right, now what do you need?" Eliza asked.

"Uh, I need _A Standard Book of Spells_ by Miranda Goshawk. It says grades one through five," Jessica said. "And _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot." She went down the list of books and it turned out that Eliza had quite a few of the books she needed.

"For uniform I need plain robes, dress robes, a hat, gloves and a cloak," she said. "I also need a wand, a cauldron, a set of phials, a telescope and a set of brass scales." She looked up at her grandmother. "Eliza, where are we going to get all this?"

For the first time since Jessica had come home Eliza smiled. "We'll need to pay a visit to London. We'll go this weekend. In the meantime, I want you to start reading those books. The more you can learn before you go the better."

"Sure Eliza." Jessica picked up a book and opened it. She sat down at the kitchen table and started reading.


	3. Acquiring Materials

**A/N: **Since I put on all three of these chapters in quick succession there are no reviewer thanks or other comments to make, at least not really. On the off chance that this actually gets read this time around I hope those of you who read it are enjoying it.

  


**Disclaimer:** I doubt whether this is actually necessary but oh well right? Not mine. Jessica is though. MINE! (Yes I am odd, hope it doesn't scare you too much.)

  


**Chapter Three: Diagon Alley**

  


On Saturday, which happened to be July 31st, Eliza woke Jessica up at ten-thirty and told her to get ready. They ate breakfast and then Eliza went up to the attic to look for something. She came back with a small golden key, a wand, both of which she stuck in her pocket, and a flowerpot filled with sparkling powder.

"Now this," Eliza said, indicating the pot's contents, "is Floo powder. What you do is step into the fireplace, say where you want to go and then you throw it down. Now we are going to The Leaky Cauldron. Repeat it!"

"The Leaky Cauldron," Jessica repeated in monotone.

"Good, now, I'll go first," Eliza reached into the pot and pulled out a handful. She stepped into the fireplace and spoke the words, "The Leaky Cauldron!" as she threw down the Floo powder. Emerald green flames engulfed her and she disappeared. Jessica stared in shock. Still, she had to follow her grandma. Her hands shaking, she reached into the pot and withdrew a handful of the Floo powder. She stepped into the fireplace and said, "The Leaky Cauldron!" She threw down the powder.

Jessica felt as though she was spinning very fast. She saw fireplace after fireplace. She began to feel sick as the spinning continued until she stumbled out of a large fireplace. Hands caught her and held her up. Eliza was supporting her, studying her face intently. 

"Jessica, are you all right?" Eliza asked.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Jessica mumbled, not wanting to open her mouth too wide. She glanced around and saw that they were in a dark, shabby pub.

"Here," Eliza sat Jessica down in a chair near the fireplace she had come out of. She turned and called, "Hey Tom!" 

The old bartender peered at her and said, "Eliza? Eliza Thompson? Is that you?" A few people turned to look at her when he said her name. He smiled at her. "Well what do you know? I haven't seen you since your daughter Grace was in Hogwarts. Who have you got there with you?" He squinted at Jessica.

"Tell you in a minute, Tom," Eliza said. "Could you bring us some tea? She's never traveled by Floo powder before."

"Sure," Tom said. In a few moments he brought over a tray of tea. Eliza poured Jessica a cup and handed it to her.

"Drink it, Jessica, it'll calm down your stomach." She turned to Tom as Jessica sipped at the tea, which, amazingly, did make her stomach feel a little bit better. "Tom, this is my granddaughter Jessica. Jessica, this is Tom. He's the innkeeper here at the Leaky Cauldron."

"So this is your granddaughter," Tom said. "Where's her mother?"

Eliza's eyes misted over and she simply said, "You-Know-Who."

"Oh, Eliza, I'm sorry." Tom looked very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"It's all right," Eliza said. She forced a smile. "Jessica's going to Hogwarts this year. We're here for her school supplies."

"Ah," Tom said, nodding. "Well, it was good seeing you again, Eliza." He walked back behind the bar. Eliza watched him go. Then she turned to Jessica, who was just finishing her tea. "Feeling better now?"

"Yeah," Jessica said. Eliza nodded. 

"Come on then." Eliza walked though the pub to a small courtyard in the back. She pulled out her wand. Tapping a brick three times she stood back. A small hole appeared in the wall. It grew larger and larger and moments later they were facing a huge archway that led to a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight. 

"This is Diagon Alley," Eliza said, and she smiled at Jessica. They walked together down the street. Jessica wished she could look in all directions at once. Everything, the people, the shops, the things outside them, was so interesting. There were shops with robes, shops with strange silver instruments. There were shops selling quills, rolls of parchment, books of all kinds; shops selling potion bottles, and all sorts of odd things Jessica didn't even want to know the names of. They passed a store selling broomsticks and she saw several boys with their noses pressed against the window. Then she felt herself walking into a shadow. She looked up. Towering above all the little shops was a big snowy building. Jessica followed Eliza up the stone steps to the doors of the building where, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, stood...

"That's a goblin," Eliza said to her. The goblin, who had a swarthy face and very long fingers and feet, bowed to them as Eliza pulled open the door and they walked inside. They were facing another set of doors; this one had an inscription on it that read:

  


_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

  


Jessica felt shivers run down her spine as she read those words. A pair of goblins bowed them through the doors. As she looked around Jessica saw goblins everywhere. Almost all of the goblins at the counter were busy. One was weighing bars of gold, another examining diamonds only slightly larger than her fist and countless others were scribbling in ledgers and counting coins. Even more were showing people through the doors leading off the lobby. Eliza and Jessica found a free goblin and walked over to him. 

"I'd like to make a withdraw," Eliza said. 

The goblin looked up from the book of numbers he had been consulting. "Do you have your key ma'am?" He asked, looking from her, to Jessica and then back to Eliza again.

Eliza nodded and pulled the small golden key out of her pocket. She handed it to the goblin that examined it for a moment before handing it back to her. "I'll have someone take you down to the vault. Gobnold!"

As Jessica expected Gobnold was another goblin. He led Eliza and Jessica out a small door. She was surprised to see, instead of marble like the lobby, a long stone tunnel that sloped steeply downward with tracks running along it. Jessica was strongly reminded of the old mines she had visited during a field trip in her fifth grade class. Gobnold whistled and a cart came hurtling up the tracks towards them. They climbed into the cart and they were off. 

Jessica tried at first to remember the way but she quickly forgot about it. The way the cart hurtled down the tracks was much like a roller coaster at an amusement park. She grinned all the way down, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair. She was almost disappointed when the cart stopped at "Vault four hundred and twenty-eight!".

Gobnold took the key from Eliza and he unlocked the door. It swung open slowly and some greenish-yellow smoke came drifting out. Jessica gasped as it cleared. The vault held large piles of gold, silver and bronze coins. Eliza stepped inside and started putting some into a bag.

"The money system's different for wizards," Eliza said. "The little bronze ones are Knuts, the silver ones are Sickles and the gold ones are Galleons. There are twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle and seventeen Sickles to a Galleon." Eliza finished placing coins in the sack and pulled it closed. "It's not too hard to remember once you get used to it. Here." She handed the sack to Jessica. "That should last you the school year if you don't spend it all too fast. You can always write to me for more money if you run out though." They left the vault, climbed back into the cart and made their way back to the surface.

As they emerged into the sunlight, Eliza consulted Jessica's list of school supplies.

"Jessica, why don't you go and get your uniform," Eliza said. "I'll go and buy you some of your school supplies to save time." When Jessica started to protest she held up her hand. "It'll be easier if we can split up the shopping. I want you to meet me outside of Flourish and Blotts when you're done. If you can't find it, just ask one of the people around, they should all be pretty helpful."

After giving Eliza some of the money, Jessica found her way into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. She explained what she needed and soon found herself in possession of three sets of regular black robes and a set of lilac colored dress robes. In a nearby store she bought herself a plain wizard's hat, a black winter cloak and a pair of dragon hide gloves. Holding all her purchases, she went back out onto the street. 

It was then that Jessica realized that she didn't know which direction Flourish and Blotts lay in. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had a hard time talking to people she didn't know. Still, so far everyone she had talked to had been extremely helpful. Glancing around, she saw a boy, with a pale face and blonde hair, standing all by himself. He looked like he was close to her age so Jessica approached him.

"Excuse me," she asked timidly. The boy turned and looked down at her over his pointed nose. The way he was looking at her made her feel like a bug.

"What do you want?" The boy's voice was cold and drawling and it held a note of scorn.

"I-I was wondering if you could tell me which way Flourish and Blotts is," Jessica said, hating the boy for the way he was speaking to her. She hadn't done anything to him; what was his problem?

The boy studied her. "Are you a Muggle-born?" he asked finally.

Jessica thought about that for a split second. Muggles were people with no magic. Eliza had told her that her parents had attended Hogwarts so that meant they had been a witch and a wizard. So there was no way she could be a Muggle-born.

"No," she said. 

The boy raised his eyebrows with a look of disbelief on his face. "Really?" His voice told her that he thought she was lying. "Because you look like one of them. Why haven't I seen you at Hogwarts?"

"I've been living like a Muggle since I was young," Jessica said. She didn't feel like explaining why to this boy. He struck her as insensitive.

"Bet you're a Muggle lover then," he said with a hint of a sneer. "How would you react if your next-door Muggle neighbors were killed?"

"That's a horrible thing to say!" Jessica exclaimed. She couldn't believe the nerve of this boy. "They're really nice!"

"Muggle lover," the boy said with a definite sneer. "People like you are an embarrassment to the wizarding world." 

Jessica wanted to smack him. "Shutup! You have no right to talk to me like that!"

"Jessica?" a familiar voice asked. She turned to see Harry coming towards her, wearing black robes. "What are you doing, Malfoy? Harassing somebody decent again?"

"So, befriended another Muggle lover have you, Potter?" Malfoy said. "Just goes to show the kind of scum you like to hang out with."

Anger shot through Jessica as Malfoy said that. "You take that back!" She was shouting now.

"Shove off," Harry said angrily. "Come on, Jessica." He took her arm and led her away.

"Who was that?" Jessica asked, blood still pounding in her ears. She glanced over her shoulder and the boy smirked at her. 

"Draco Malfoy," Harry answered. "He's a jerk, just ignore him. He doesn't know anything."

Trying to change the subject, Jessica said, "I didn't know you were a wizard, Harry."

"Yeah, I am," Harry said. "What about you? I could've sworn you were a Muggle."

"I got a letter telling me I'd been accepted into Hogwarts on Tuesday," Jessica said. "For some odd reason I was overlooked during my first four years. I'm probably going to be really far behind. My grandma said she could tutor me in some of it though. Speaking of my grandma, do you know where Flourish and Blotts is? I don't know my way around this place."

"It's this way," Harry said. He led her to a bookshop. Eliza was waiting outside it.

"Jessica, what took so long?" Eliza asked. Jessica told her what had happened when she had asked for directions. 

"What was this boy's name again?" Eliza asked.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry put in when Jessica had trouble remembering.

"Malfoy? Are you sure that was his name?" Eliza's face was halfway between anger and shock. "He wouldn't happen to be the son of Lucuis Malfoy would he?"

"One and the same," Harry said.

"Jessica, stay away from that boy," Eliza said. There was now a stern frown on her face. "Wizards like him are nothing but trouble."

"Yes, Eliza," Jessica said. _As if I'd want to have anything to do with him anyway,_ Jessica thought.

"Oh," Eliza said, looking at Harry as if seeing him for the first time. "Who are you?"

"I'm Harry, ma'am, Harry Potter," Harry said. Jessica watched as her grandma's eyes flicked upward to his forehead and for the first time Jessica noticed a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Eliza stuck out her hand.

"Eliza Thompson, Harry, I'm Jessica's grandmother," she said shaking hands with him. "So, are you the Harry that Jessica met in the bookstore the other day?"

"Yes, Ms. Thompson," Harry answered.

"Call me Eliza," she said smiling. She turned to Jessica. "I've gotten almost all of your supplies. You're allowed to have a pet too." She studied Jessica's face. "Would you like to get an owl? They carry your mail and it's quite useful to have one."

"Sure," Jessica said. They made their way to Eeylops Owl Emporium. Ten minutes later the three of them emerged. Jessica was holding a wire cage with her new owl inside it. She was almost all black except for the tips of her wings, which were white. Jessica named her Fallen Angel. 

"The only thing left to get is your wand," Eliza said. "Would you like to go in alone? If you would I'll send off Fallen Angel to let the school know that you're coming this year." Jessica nodded slowly. For some reason she didn't want her grandmother there when she got her first wand. 

"That's fine dear. I'll go write that letter. Harry, would you please show her where the shop is?" Harry nodded and Eliza walked off with Fallen Angel.

"Come on, the shop is this way," Harry said, leading her off down Diagon Alley. They soon arrived at a small dusty looking shop with a sigh that read, Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. Jessica felt her throat turn dry. Suddenly she didn't want to enter the shop. What if there wasn't a wand for her? What if she tried out every wand in the shop and found out that she wasn't magical after all?

"Harry, would you like to come into the shop with me?" She hoped he would say yes. She didn't want to buy her wand alone.

"Sure," Harry answered in what seemed like surprise. "No problem." Together the two of them walked into the shop.

It was dusty and Jessica had to fight the urge to sneeze. A bell rang somewhere in the shop as the door closed behind them. It was a tiny shop with boxes all along the walls. As she looked around, Jessica felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Jessica looked around. Standing before them, as though he'd appeared out of nowhere, was an old man with gray hair and silvery eyes. Those eyes focused on her and she shivered involuntarily. 

"Ah, so you've finally come," Mr. Ollivander said. "I was wondering if you would ever be coming Miss Banks. You look like your grandmother. I can clearly remember her first wand. Beechwood, ten inches. Rather good wand for Charm work."

"What about my grandfather's wand?" Jessica asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Eliza never spoke about her grandfather.

"Your grandfather," Mr. Ollivander said sadly, "had a yew wand. Thirteen and a half inches. Very powerful." Jessica suddenly felt like she'd asked a forbidden question. She swallowed all of her other questions. 

Mr. Ollivander seemed to shake off the sadness. "Well, you're here for your wand. Which is your wand arm?"

Confused, Jessica glanced at Harry. "Are you right-handed or left-handed?" Harry asked her.

"Oh, um, my right arm," Jessica said to Mr. Ollivander. 

"Hold out you're arm. Excellent." He pulled out a tape measure and began to take her measurements. He walked over to one of the shelves and pulled out a box. Jessica realized that the tape measure was measuring on its own. "That's enough. Here, try this. Holly and phoenix feather, ten inches." He handed Jessica a wand. She had no sooner taken it then he snatched it back from her.

"Willow and unicorn hair, nine inches, try it," Mr. Ollivander. Jessica tried it. And tried more and more wands.

"Ash and dragon heartstring. Seven inches." 

"Mahogany and unicorn hair. Eight inches."

Mr. Ollivander pulled out box after box. "Here. A rare combination, redwood and phoenix feather. Eight and three-quarter inches. Give it a wave."

Jessica took the wand from him. It felt warm in her fingers. She twirled the wand in circles and violet and silver sparks shot out from the tip. Mr. Ollivander and Harry applauded.

She smiled with relief. Mr. Ollivander took the wand and placed it in its box.

"That will be six Galleons and nine Sickles," he said. Jessica paid him the money and she left the shop with Harry.

  


As they stepped outside Jessica heard voices calling, "Harry! Harry!" A girl with bushy brown hair that looked in need of brushing and a tall boy with flaming red hair approached them.

"Hello, Ron, Hermione," Harry said. "How are you?"

"Good," said the boy with red hair. "Mum's here too. We can go back to the Burrow as soon as you're ready." Then he noticed Jessica for the first time. "Oh, hello," he said. "I'm Ron Weasley. Who're you?"

"I'm Jessica Banks," she said. 

"Oh, so you're the Jessica Harry's been talking about all summer," Ron said with a grin. Jessica shot a look at Harry who, to her surprise, was blushing.

"Oh, Ron, give Harry a break, he only told us about how he'd met her," the girl with bushy hair said quickly.

"He said a lot more when you weren't there, Hermione," Ron said. He seemed to be enjoying the uncomfortable look on Harry's face. Despite herself, Jessica smiled. 

"Er, Ron," Harry said. "Shut up okay?"

"I aim to please," Ron said, with a grin and a slightly mocking half bow.

"So, why haven't we seen you at Hogwarts if you're a witch?" Hermione asked. She seemed to be trying to change the subject but Jessica didn't mind.

"Well, for some reason I was overlooked during my first four years," Jessica said. "So I've got to catch up on four years worth of school. I don't know how I'm going to manage."

"That's odd," Hermione said. "But I could probably help you to catch up."

"You could?" Jessica asked. "That'd be great."

"Yeah, Hermione's only been top of her class for four years in a row," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"You'd have to come over to Ron's house for the rest of the summer since I'm staying there, though," Hermione said thoughtfully, ignoring Ron. "And you'll probably need some extra books for background reading, seeing as you don't know much about the magical world."

"My grandmother's already got a lot of books, I can bring them." Jessica was glad she'd found someone to help her with catching up. She'd been very worried that she wouldn't be able to catch up in time for school.

"I'd have to make sure it was okay with my grandmother though," Jessica said. 

"What about your parents?" Ron asked. 

"They died when I was very little," Jessica said. "At a party with some of their Muggle friends. My grandmother never told me exactly what happened, just that everyone who was there died. I was with my grandmother when it happened, because I was sick."

"Oh," Ron said. There was silence for a moment. "Sorry if I upset you or anything."

"It's all right," Jessica said. "You had no idea." She was actually a bit scared. She had just talked of her parents' death for the first time in years and she felt, well, nothing. When she had been a little girl it had been impossible for her to talk of her parents without crying. And now... Now it seemed as though she didn't care.

The uncomfortable silence stretched on. It was broken by Eliza approaching them with Jessica's owl. 

"I've sent off the letter Jessica," Eliza said. "Are you ready to go?"

"Well, Eliza, I was wondering if I could spend the rest of the summer with Hermione," Jessica asked nervously. "She goes to Hogwarts and she said she could help me catch up on what I've missed. She's staying at Ron Weasley's house."

"If you're sure you want to, Jessica," Eliza said with a small smile. "I'll send Fallen Angel with some clothes, once you get there of course. And I'll bring you your luggage of course." 

"Thanks, Eliza," Jessica said, giving her grandmother a hug. Eliza walked off with Fallen Angel. 

"You named your owl Fallen Angel?" Ron asked. 

"Yeah, so?" Jessica asked protectively. She liked that name. 

"It's just kind of-" Ron started. 

"Ron, considering your owl's name I really don't think you have the right to be criticizing anyone else's owl's names," Hermione said. 

"Why?" Jessica asked. "What's your owl's name, Ron?" 

"It's Pig," Harry interrupted with a smile before Ron could answer. 

"Pig?" Jessica asked, laughing. She shook her head. "Do I even want to know the story behind this?" 

"My sister Ginny named him Pigwidgeon," Ron said, shooting a glare at Harry. "I tried to change it but he refused to answer to anything else. So, he's Pig." 

"Ah, I see," Jessica said, still shaking her head and grinning. 

"Are you ready to leave yet Harry?" Ron asked, looking just a bit embarrassed. 

"Naw, let's go get some ice cream," Harry said. "I'll pay for it okay?" 

"Fine," Ron said. The three of them walked to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor where Harry bought them all sundaes. 

"Thanks for buying, Harry," Jessica said as they sat down to eat their sundaes. 

"No problem," Harry said with a smile. Jessica really liked that smile. It made her feel liked, a feeling Jessica had never gotten from the boys at her old school. Her old school... She was already accepting Hogwarts and the magical world as her true home and she hadn't even been to Hogwarts yet. 

"Aren't you going to eat you sundae?" Hermione asked her. 

"Yeah," Jessica said. "I was just thinking." 

"That's dangerous you know," Ron said. "I wouldn't try it if I were you." 

Jessica smiled as she took a bit of her sundae. The taste of ice cream reminded her of something... 

"Oh!" Jessica said as she remembered. "It's your birthday, isn't it, Harry?" 

"Hey, you remembered," Harry said. "Yes, today is my birthday." 

"I don't have a present for you," Jessica said. "But Happy Birthday!" 

"That's good enough," Harry said with a smile. 

They finished their ice cream and headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"There you are Ron!" A voice rang out. Two people with red hair were approaching them. They could only be twins, just as they had to be related to Ron. One wore a sweater with a big letter F on it and the other wore one with a G. 

"Mum's been looking for you guys," G said. 

"Hey, who are you?" asked F, staring at Jessica. 

"Oh, I'm Jessica Banks," Jessica said. 

"Wait," G said with a mischievous grin. "I remember Harry talking about you." 

"Oh, yes, that's right," F said. "You'd be the one who's beautiful-" 

"And nice-" 

"And sweet-" 

"And smart." 

Jessica glanced at Harry, who had turned scarlet. Her attention, however, was quickly focused onto herself. 

"My, my, Jessica," F said. "You're as red as Harry! You two make quite a pair." 

"Jessica, this is Fred and this is George," Ron said. "They're my two of my older brothers." 

"Hello," Jessica said with a weak smile. She hadn't realized that she was blushing too. She wanted to cover her face in her hands but she wasn't the kind of person who ran and hid just because she was blushing. Regaining some of her confidence she tried another smile. This one felt much better than the other one and Jessica let out a mental sigh of relief. 

"So, Jessica," George said with a teasing grin, putting his arm around her shoulder as the group continued towards the Leaky Cauldron. "Just how much do you like Harry?" 

"That's for me to know, George, and for you to not find out," Jessica said, returning his grin. 

"Oooh, she's good," Fred commented. "Better watch yourself, George. She just might outsmart you." 

"Naw, that won't happen," George said after thinking about it for a moment. He took his arm off Jessica's shoulder. 

Jessica grinned. Their teasing wasn't actually that bad if you didn't let it get to you. In, fact, Jessica found them rather funny. 

As the six of them left Diagon Allay and entered the Three Broomsticks Jessica saw a group of more red heads and thought to herself, Just how big is Ron's family? 

A red-headed woman who was obviously Ron's mother called to them as they entered the tiny pub, "Ron, Hermione, Harry dear, there you all are! Are you ready to go? Oh, hello," she said, upon spotting Jessica. "What's your name m'dear?" 

"Jessica Banks," Harry said, before she could. Jessica was somewhat grateful for this because she was growing tired of having to introduce herself again and again. 

"Well, Jessica, I'm Molly Weasley, Ron's mother," she said. 

"It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Weasley," Jessica said. She was looking forward to seeing how a wizarding family lived. And, she thought to herself, I'll get to spend some more time with Harry.

  



	4. A Ruined Home

**A/N:** Well, here's chapter four. I hope that by continually updating someone will find this ff and read it. Anyway. 

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Jessica is though. Steal her and I'll... well, I don't know what I'll do but it will be very very annoying.

  


______________________________________________________________________

  


**Chapter Four: Tears for the Missing**

  


They used Floo powder to get to Ron's house. After Jessica had gotten over another sick stomach and she had actually looked around at Ron's house she could really only think of one word to describe it. Cozy. It had a cozy feeling to it and Jessica liked it much better than her grandmother's house. Her grandmother's house had too many unused rooms. Her grandmother's house felt empty. Ron's house on the other hand, felt very lived in. 

While Mrs. Weasley was the kitchen cooking dinner Jessica was introduced to Ron's younger sister Ginny, his older brother Percy and his father. Mr. Weasley was quite interested in finding out about how Muggles lived and he managed to draw Jessica into a conversation with him. After explaining how a light switch worked, among other things, Mrs. Weasley called everyone to dinner. 

Jessica had never tasted food so good. She ate until she was fuller than she could ever recall being and then she listened to the others talk about news in the wizarding world. For a while it was all about Quidditch (whatever that was) and who was in going to be the next minister of magic. 

Finally Mrs. Weasley said, "It's getting late, you'd better be getting off to bed now." With everyone but the twins voicing their agreement, everyone got up from the table. As Harry, Ron, Hermione and Jessica made their way up stairs Hermione told Jessica that she could lend her some clothes until her grandmother could bring her some more. 

The girls stopped at the third floor landing, where they would be sleeping. 

"Goodnight, Ron," Hermione said. "'Night Harry." 

"See you in the morning, Hermione," Ron said. 

"See you, Hermione," Harry echoed. He gave Jessica a small smile and said, "Goodnight," before continuing up the stairs with Ron. 

"See you tomorrow guys," Jessica called up the stairs after them. 

Jessica borrowed a pair of pajamas belonging to Hermione, who conjured up a sleeping bag for her. Jessica climbed into it and fell asleep.

  


When Jessica woke up the next morning she was the only one in Ginny's bedroom. She changed into the clothes Hermione had been kind enough to lay out for her. She tied back her messy dark brown hair instead of brushing it and then she went downstairs.

Everyone except for Mr. Weasley was sitting at the table and when Jessica walked in she was greeted by a chorus of, "good morning!"s. She took a seat at the table and Mrs. Weasley began heaping breakfast onto her plate.

"We decided to let you sleep," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "You seemed to need it."

"Yeah, we were wondering when you were going to wake up," Ron said.

"I'm not sure I am awake," Jessica said in response, drawing laughter from Harry and Ron. She grinned and started eating.

"Hey mum, can we have seconds?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, we're hungry," George added.

Mrs. Weasley frowned at them. "No," she said. "I'm saving the rest for your father; I imagine he's going to be famished when he gets home."

"Where is Dad anyway?" Ron asked curiously.

"He got an urgent call from the ministry early this morning," Mrs. Weasley said. There was silence in the room after she said that. Everyone looked extremely solemn. Jessica saw Ron and Hermione exchange a glance before looking at Harry, whose eyes had dropped to his plate.

Breakfast continued in silence for awhile. Just as Harry and the others were finishing up, Mr. Weasley walked in.

"Morning everyone," he said as he sat down at the table.

"Morning dad," all the Weasleys except for Mrs. Weasley said. His walking in seem to break the spell of silence and the boys began to talk about Quidditch (Jessica still had no idea what it was but she planned to ask Harry when he wasn't surrounded by Ron, Fred and George.)

"What was it Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she served him the remained of the food.

"There was another attack early this morning," Mr. Weasley said. At his words everyone became silent. Jessica looked around to see if she was the only one who was clueless. She was. 

"Was it-one of ours, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked as though expecting the worst.

"Hard to tell but I'd say yes," Mr. Weasley answered. "She was living like a Muggle but there were spell books all around."

"Who was it?" Mrs. Weasley said. "Is she...?"

"Her name was Eliza Thompson," Mr. Weasley said. He started to say more but he was cut off by a gasp from Jessica. Everyone at the table looked at her with a curious look on their face. Except for Harry. Jessica saw her shock mirrored in his eyes.

"What is it Jessica?" Molly asked her, seeing the look on her face. 

Jessica tried to speak but the words didn't seem to want to come. Finally she managed to force them out.

"My grandmother's name," Jessica said, her voice hoarse and shaky, "is Eliza Thompson. What-who attacked her?" Jessica asked. "She's not...is she...dead?" Her eyes began to fill with tears at the thought of her grandmother being dead. Her grandmother was the only one she had, what would she do without her? Where would she go? 

"Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said. "She doesn't know, she doesn't know about You-Know-Who." 

"Who's You-Know-Who?" Jessica asked in confusion. 

"You-Know-Who is a dark wizard named Voldemort," Harry said. When he said the name everyone except for Hermione flinched. Jessica met Harry's eyes and saw a haunted look in them. "He believes that all Muggles and Muggle-born wizards are lower than him and they should die. And any pure-bloods who stand against him." 

Jessica's eyes darted from Harry to Mr. Weasley as he said, "Jessica, your grandmother, as far as we know, is not dead. The house was attacked, but we have not found her body. She is only missing at this point." His expression indicated that there was more but he didn't say anything else.

"Only, missing?" Jessica's voice shook. 

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Jessica, do you have any idea about why You-Know-Who would have attacked your grandmother? Any idea at all?" 

"No," Jessica said. Missing...that was almost worse than dead. All missing meant was that they hadn't found her dead, it didn't mean she wasn't dead. But they haven't found her, Jessica thought. I can't give up hope; there's still a chance, no matter how slim it is. Jessica wiped away the tears in her eyes. 

"Arthur, you don't need to take her in to the Ministry do you?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She looked at Jessica with concern and Jessica realized that Mrs. Weasley felt sorry for her. Unbidden, a wave of anger washed over her. She didn't want anyone's pity; she wanted them to help her find her grandma! 

"I don't have to take her to the Ministry but I should take her to the house, to see if anything was taken." Mr. Weasley stood up; his food lay untouched on his plate. 

"But Arthur, you just got home!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "Can't it wait, just a little?" Jessica felt inclined to agree with Mrs. Weasley. She didn't want to see what he had destroyed; she didn't want to go home to a wrecked house and know that Eliza might never be back... Jessica quickly ducked her head in an effort to hide her tears. 

"I'm afraid not, Molly," Mr. Weasley said. He looked at Jessica. "Jessica," he said gently, "we have to go. Come on." 

Jessica stood up slowly. She walked over to the fireplace where Mr. Weasley was now standing. He held out the Floo powder saying, "You go first, Jessica, I'm right behind you." 

Jessica took some Floo powder and threw it down shouting, "Eliza Thompson!" 

It was the same spinning sensation as before, the same view of fireplace after fireplace. Finally, Jessica stumbled out into her own family room. 

Jessica felt the familiar wave of sickness washing over her but then she saw the state the family room was in and she forgot about her upset stomach. The pictures that had been in frames on the mantle piece were on the floor. There was glass all over the carpet. The couch was overturned and the lamp on the coffee table had been knocked to the floor. On the floor lay a wand that Jessica recognized as Eliza's. Next to it was what looked like a photo album. 

Jessica walked over to it and picked it up. She opened it. It was a photo album but the photos were moving! Jessica stared at the photo on the page the album had fallen open to. A tall boy with jet-black hair who looked about eighteen was smiling out at her. Standing next to him was a girl about the same age as him who could only be a younger version of Jessica's grandmother. Her grandmother's blue eyes sparkled with laughter. She had her arms around the boy's middle and her chin rested on his shoulder. The two of them waved out at her. 

"Jessica?" Mr. Weasley was standing behind her. Jessica had been so absorbed in the picture that she hadn't heard him arrive. Jessica closed the album. She set it down on the floor. 

Looking around she declared, "Nothing's missing in here."

Jessica and Mr. Weasley went through the house, room by room. Nothing had been taken but all throughout the house pictures of she and her grandmother had been smashed, burned or plain out destroyed. In the kitchen the rack of knives lay on the floor. Jessica shuddered, not wanting to think about what had happened. 

After going through the entire house, Jessica went to her bedroom and began gathering up everything. Mr. Weasley had suggested it since she would probably not be allowed in the house again. It took her a long time but with Mr. Weasley's help she managed to find everything. She had to search the entire house before she could find the tiny golden key to the vault in Gringotts. Jessica didn't want to think that Eliza might not be coming back but she knew it never hurt to be prepared. 

When everything had been gathered up Jessica lugged her trunk down the stairs. Mr. Weasley was waiting for her. 

"Come on Jessica," he said. 

"Wait," Jessica said. She ran over and picked up her grandmother's wand and the photo album. She stuck both of these into here trunk and then closed it. After making Mr. Weasley promise to bring Fallen Angel she walked into the fireplace, pushing her trunk ahead of her. She threw down her Floo powder shouted, "The Burrow!" and she was gone. 

When she got there Harry, Ron and Hermione were waiting for her. 

"Here," Ron said, taking her trunk. "I'll take that up to Ginny's room." 

"I'll help you," Hermione said. Together the two of them lugged the heavy trunk out of the room. Mr. Weasley appeared with Jessica's owl and he followed Ron and Hermione upstairs. Which left Jessica alone with Harry. 

"I'm sorry," Harry said simply. Jessica looked at him. That haunted look was in his eyes again. 

"It's going to be so different," Jessica said quietly. "Without her there, you know. She's been, like a mother to me." Jessica stopped talking. Her eyes were tearing up again and she didn't want Harry to see her cry. 

"It's okay," Harry said. "I know what it's like." Jessica's eyes met Harry's and she found herself leaning closer to him. For a second, just a split second, she thought they were going to kiss. Then Ron and Hermione walked back into the room and Harry and Jessica moved away from each other. 

  


Later that night Jessica lay in her sleeping bag. She was thinking, not just about Harry but about the photo album she had found in her house. She hadn't known her grandmother had an album of her Hogwarts years. Yes, Jessica was convinced the picture had been taken during her Hogwarts years. Her age seemed right for her Hogwarts years. 

Glancing at Ginny and Hermione to make sure they were asleep, Jessica reached under her pillow and pulled out the album. She opened it and leafed through the pages, only glancing at the photos. Then she came to the picture with her grandmother and the boy. She didn't know his name but she felt as though she'd met him before. There was something familiar about that face. They smiled and waved from the picture and at the sight of her grandmother's smile Jessica felt the tears that she had been holding off all day. They broke through and Jessica closed the album, tears streaming down her cheeks. She slipped it back under her pillow and then she buried her face in that same pillow. 

Half an hour later she lay peacefully in her sleeping bag, having cried herself to sleep.


	5. Arrival and Sorting

**Chapter Five: Hogwarts and the Sorting**

  


The rest of the summer was a blur for Jessica. There were some things she did remember though such as flying lessons. She had finally found out what Quidditch was and she was eager to learn how to play. Jessica loved flying. It was hard to be depressed when she was soaring like a bird above the ground. Harry and Ron had both told her she was a natural. 

Another thing she remembered was study sessions with Hermione. Though these had a tendency to be boring Jessica found that she understood most of it immediately. Near the end of August she was halfway through fourth year. Jessica remembered Harry and Ron's reaction when they learned of her incredible progress. The two of them had exchanged a glance and then Ron had said, "Harry, we've got another Hermione in our midst." Harry, Ron and Jessica laughed over this but Hermione had only looked indignant. 

By the time September first rolled around Jessica was quite used to living with the Weasleys (who had appointed themselves her guardians in her grandmother's absence) and she felt reluctant to go. 

On the last day of August Jessica received a letter from Hogwarts that read: 

  


Dear Miss Banks, 

  


Enclosed is a permission form for Hogsmeade. Third years and above are allowed to visit the village. You may have Mr. or Mrs. Weasley sign it considering the absence of your grandmother. 

When you arrive at Hogwarts please go with the first years so that you may be sorted into a house. 

  


Sincerely, 

Minerva McGonagall 

_Deputy Headmistress _

  


Jessica got Mrs. Weasley to sign it but she had been forced to agree that she would stay with someone at all times. Jessica had rolled her eyes at that. She liked the Weasleys, she really did but sometimes she thought they took their role of her guardians a little too seriously.

  


September first dawned bright and clear. Everyone was up early packing their Hogwarts things because no one (except for Hermione, who would have slept in if it hadn't been so noisy) had bothered to do it the night before. After everyone was certain they had packed everything Mr. Weasley somehow called some taxicabs to take them to King's Cross Station. (How he managed this Jessica was uncertain because she hadn't seen a phone in the Weasley's house.) Jessica grew more and more nervous on the way there but she just chatted with Harry, Ron and Hermione until she felt better. They arrived at King's Cross with plenty of time to spare. As they made their way to the platform Jessica pulled out her ticket (which had arrived with the Hogsmeade permission form) and studied it. She looked at the platform number and then blinked. Wait a moment, Jessica thought. There must be some mistake. Platform nine and three-quarters? She looked up as the group stopped. There was a Platform nine and a Platform ten but there was no Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. 

"Fred, George, you go first," Mrs. Weasley said. Fred and George ran at the wall and as Jessica watched they disappeared into it! 

Jessica shouldn't have worried. Harry, seeing the startled look on her face, explained it to her. 

"The wall's not really solid," he said. "You just walk through it. Here, come on, I'll show you." He walked at the wall and Jessica followed him. He disappeared into it and Jessica followed him through. There was a second of darkness and then she was through. Looking ahead of her she saw a gateway with a sign on it that read Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. There was a scarlet steam engine that read The Hogwarts Express. Jessica smiled. Suddenly she didn't feel so scared. 

Jessica pushed her trunk after Harry. They waited for Ron and Hermione and then all of them went onto the train to find an empty compartment. Once everyone's luggage had been put up they all went out to say their good-byes (or, in Hermione's case, they stayed on the train to study). 

"Have a good year," Mrs. Weasley said to Ron as she pulled him into a hug, which he pulled out of. 

"Mum!" He said in exasperation. Mrs. Weasley just smiled and turned to Jessica. 

"Be careful," was all Jessica heard before Mrs. Weasley pulled her into her hug too. Jessica, unlike Ron, hugged her back. She and Eliza had always hugged before they'd said good-bye but they hadn't when they had split up in Diagon Alley... Jessica shoved these thoughts into the back of her mind before the tears could form. She gently broke out of the hug. 

"I will," Jessica said. 

"You do remember what we said about not going anywhere alone, don't you?" Mrs. Weasley said. 

"Yes, I promised didn't I?" Jessica said with some exasperation. She didn't need to be reminded every ten minutes. She'd given her word and she'd do her best to keep it. 

The train let out a whistle. 

"Hurry, the train's leaving any moment!" Mr. Weasley said. Harry and Ron hurried off towards the train but Jessica held back a moment. 

"Still no word?" she asked Mr. Weasley softly. 

"No, I'm sorry, nothing new," Mr. Weasley said sadly. 

"Oh, well, I'd just wondered, that's all..." Jessica trailed off. She had almost been expecting his answer. 

"Jessica, come on!" came Harry's shout. Jessica looked over and saw the train was about to start moving. She dashed towards it. She jumped on just as it started to move, which threw her off balance. She stared to fall backwards. Harry grabbed her arm. 

The two of them fell forwards into the hallway. Jessica landed on top of Harry. For a moment she stared into those green eyes and she felt compelled to kiss him. She leaned forward and to her surprise so did Harry. Their lips touched. Jessica felt a jolt and then they kissed. 

Moments later they broke apart. Jessica felt as though her head was spinning. She looked down at Harry and then she smiled. It was the happiest smile she'd smiled in months and her face, which had been dark and serious ever since her grandmother's disappearance, lit up. 

"Oh, uh, sorry," Jessica said, suddenly realizing what an awkward position they were in. She got up and helped Harry to his feet. Though he had a serious expression on his face, his eyes, like Jessica's, were shining with happiness. 

"Jessica, I er, have something to tell you," Harry said. He took a deep breath and then he said, "I really like you, Jessica." 

Her heart rose and she smiled again, "I really like you too, Harry." She leaned forward and kissed him again. After they broke apart she asked, "Can we, I mean I guess, can we consider ourselves together? You know, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Yes," Harry said. Jessica wanted to scream for joy but instead she just smiled again. She felt so happy. 

Harry returned her smile. Then he said, "You know, Ron and Hermione are probably wondering where we are."

"Right," Jessica said and the two of them walked to the compartment where Ron and Hermione were waiting. 

"Where were you?" Hermione asked curiously, not even bothering to look up as the two of them walked in. 

"Jessica had a bit of trouble getting on the train on time," Harry explained. "She sort of had to, jump on." 

Ron looked amused as he said, "Jessica, jump onto the train? Never!" 

Jessica smiled before sticking out her tongue at him. 

"Very mature," commented Hermione from her seat. 

"I know," Jessica said. "Aren't I?" She laughed. 

The train ride was pleasant until about halfway though. Harry and Jessica had been exchanging looks and smiles the whole time and it seemed to be irritating Ron. 

"What is with you two?" he asked finally. Jessica had been waiting for him to ask for hours. "You've been giving each other these looks the whole time. Is there something you guys aren't telling us?" 

"Ron, I imagine they've decide to start dating," Hermione said. She looked over at them. "Honestly, I'm surprised you two didn't get together sooner." 

"Is she right?" Ron asked, in what seemed like shock. 

"Yeah, Ron, she's right," Jessica said. "We're, we're going out now." 

"Well, I always knew you liked scum, Potter, but I'm amazed that you would stoop that low," said a cold drawling voice that Jessica recognized. 

Draco Malfoy walked in flanked by two extremely large boys on either side.

"You never change," Draco said, looking around the compartment with a scornful expression on his face. "You're always hanging out with the worst of people." 

Jessica felt hatred rising in her and she retorted before she could stop herself. "Honestly, Malfoy, I don't know how you can possibly judge others when you are the stupidest ugliest guy-um, excuse me-boy that I have ever met." Ron and Harry stared at her, they had never seen her this mad before. 

"Shut your mouth you little Mudblood lover," Draco said angrily. 

"Why should I?" Jessica demanded. "Because you told me to? I don't think so. Now get out." 

Malfoy glared at her angrily but she just returned his gaze and refused to back down. 

Finally he looked away muttering, "I'd watch my back if I were you." He turned to go. 

"Malfoy, if you were me, I'd kill myself," Jessica said coldly. Malfoy acted as though he hadn't heard her and stomped out, his little bodyguards close behind. 

"I hate that kid," Jessica remarked casually as she sat back down, but she was shaking with barely suppressed rage. He had called her scum; he had dared to... Jessica tried to quit thinking these thoughts but she had trouble. If there was one thing she had a problem with it was being insulted like that. She had been forced to put up with it all though elementary school and she hated it. 

"Jessica, are you all right?" Harry's concerned voice pulled her out of her angry thoughts. Jessica looked at him, her anger fading. Malfoy's whole intention had been to piss her off. She wasn't about to let him have his way. 

"I just hate that kid," Jessica said. The rage that had been behind these words before, however, was now gone. 

"I don't think there's a person in this compartment who doesn't," Harry said. Jessica looked at Ron and Hermione and both of them nodded. She looked back at Harry and he smiled at her.

"I'm sorry," Jessica said. "I lost it. I just wasn't going to take that from him."

"Are you kidding?" Ron asked. "Apologizing for telling off Malfoy? I've never seen him retreat from a girl...well, except for once." He threw a glance at Hermione.

Hermione smiled. Jessica sat down next to Harry. He wrapped his arms around her and she smiled, laying her head against his shoulder. 

I just want something to go right for a change, Jessica thought. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I know," Harry said and Jessica realized she'd spoken aloud. "But you're going to Hogwarts, right? So there's one thing that's gone right."

"And we're together," Jessica said, her voice drowsy. She hadn't slept well the night before. She'd had bad dreams; the dreams that had been dominating her sleep since Eliza's disappearance.

"That too," Harry said, and Jessica could hear the smile in his voice. She smiled to herself and soon she had drifted off.

  


"Jessica?" a voice said softly. 

Jessica moaned and slowly opened her eyes. She was in the train compartment. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She'd slept well but for some reason she felt even more tired than before. She looked behind her at Harry, who smiled. 

"We're going to be there in a few minutes," Harry said. "You should change into your uniform."

"Right," she said with a yawn. Jessica stood up and stretched. She grabbed some robes out of her trunk and went to go change.

After changing into her robes she opened the bathroom door-and ran straight into some one. Picking herself up off the floor, she looked to see who she had run into. 

It was a man who looked about twenty or so. He had short blonde hair and lively hazel eyes. He looked very athletic and Jessica found herself thinking that he must be very strong.

"I'm very sorry," Jessica said. Her shyness, which hadn't been around ever since she'd met Harry, came back. "I didn't see you, I-" 

"It's all right, it was my fault," said the man, interrupting her. Though his voice was serious his eyes weren't and Jessica got the feeling that he was laughing, but not necessarily at her. "Are you a student?" Jessica nodded. "Really? What's your name?"

"Jessica Banks," she said. She wished this man would stop talking to her. She wanted to go back and sit with her friends.

"Nice to meet you, Jessica," he said. He stuck out his hand and Jessica shook it. "I'm Byron Chettersburg." He started to say more but was cut off by a voice, which echoed throughout the train.

"The Hogwarts Express will be arriving in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train. It will be carried up to the school separately."

"Sorry, I've got to go," Byron said quickly, and he hurried off down the corridor.

Jessica walked off in search of Harry, Ron and Hermione but she couldn't find them. The corridor had suddenly become very crowded and people were giving her dirty looks as she pushed past them. Finally she gave up and just moved with the crowd, making her way towards the doors as the train slowed. When they had stopped she climbed out and started looking around for Harry and the others. She didn't see them anywhere and as the students began to leave she sighed and walked over to where a tall man was saying, "Firs' years over here! Don't be shy!"

The man was gigantic; Jessica had never seen anyone so big. He was huge. He looked down at Jessica as she walked up and he smiled at her from under his long black beard.

"Yer Jessica, aren't yeh?" He asked. Jessica nodded. "Dumbledore said yeh'd be comin' this year. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts. Welcome to the school."

"Thank you," Jessica said, politely. She liked Hagrid. Despite his imposing appearance he seemed very friendly.

When Hagrid was certain that all of the first years were there, he led them down what seemed to be a steep narrow path. Several of the first years tripped and Jessica, who had a very good sense of balance, helped them back up. It was very dark and despite herself, Jessica shivered.

"Yeh'll be gettin' yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts jus' round this bend here," Hagrid said as the path opened up to a huge lake. Across the dark water on a mountain was a huge castle with many turrets and towers. Jessica could not help but gasp like the first years.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing toward a tiny fleet of boats. Jessica hurried over and got into a boat. No one joined her; apparently the fact that she was three years older than they were intimidated the first years.

"Forward!" shouted Hagrid and the fleet of boats glided across the water. Jessica let her hand trail in the water for a bit, but soon pulled it back out as it was going numb. She looked up at the castle and wondered if Harry was there already. Probably, he didn't have to sail across the lake.

"Heads down!" Hagrid called as they approached a curtain of ivy on the cliff face. She ducked her head along with everyone else. It became dark again as they sailed down some tunnel that seemed to be going underneath the castle itself. They then reached some underground harbor and everyone clambered out of their boats onto rock and pebbles. After checking the boats Hagrid led them up a stone passageway onto damp grass right under the shadow of the castle. They went up a short flight of steps to a massive oak front door.

"Everyone here? Right then." Hagrid lifted his hand and knocked three times on the door to the castle.

The door swung open at once. A tall dark-hair witch in emerald-green robes stood there with a very stern expression on her face. Jessica thought to herself, Better not make her mad, she looks like one of those really stern people. Jessica had the ability of being able to sense a person's character. She'd developed it in elementary school when her few friends betrayed her. It had been useful, she knew who to trust and who not to, but sometimes she wished she'd never developed it.

"The firs' years Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

"Thank you Hagrid, I will take them from here."

She pulled the door to the castle open wide. The entrance hall was so big that it would have taken a tower to reach the ceiling and it would have taken several houses the size of Jessica's own to cover the floor.

They followed McGonagall past a door on the right behind which it sounded liked hundreds of voices were talking. Jessica guessed this would be the Great Hall. Harry had already told her a little bit about the school.

She led them into a small chamber off the entrance hall. Everyone crowded in. The first years stood closer together than they probably would have done normally, but Jessica stood by herself in a corner.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your House dormitory and spend free time in your House common room."

Jessica tuned out. Harry had explained this all to her the day before. Before she knew it McGonagall had left and returned saying, "We are ready for you now."

She led them, in a single file line, into the Great Hall. Jessica felt the entire schools' eyes on her and she looked around. She spotted Harry waving to her from the table on the far left. She looked forward with a smile on her face. The line stopped and Jessica looked up to where the Sorting Hat (Harry had told her about that too) sat on a stool.

As the hat started to sing, Jessica's ears started ringing and she shook her head, trying to make the sound go away. As the hat finished the whole hall broke out into applause and the sudden, loud noise seemed to take care of the ringing. Jessica clapped with the others but felt slightly disappointed. She hadn't gotten to hear the hat's song; Harry had said they were very clever.

She still, however, knew what the Houses were and what kind of person went where. She wanted more than anything to be in Gryffindor, after all, that was the House Harry was in. And she believed she was brave, at least, to a certain extent.

"Now when I call your name you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," said Professor McGonagall; she was now holding a rather large roll of parchment. "Banks, Jessica!"

Jessica took a deep breath and stepped out of line, walking purposefully to the front of the hall. Some how, by sheer dumb luck, she had ended up at the back of the line. As she walked forward she heard people whispering.

"If she's a first year then I'm a troll."

"She's really cute, do you think I should ask her out?"

"Don't get too hopeful, I hear she's Potter's girlfriend."

Jessica was shocked. How had the whole school found out so quickly? Then she remembered. Draco Malfoy knew and she was willing to bet he'd told all of his friends, who, in turn, had told the rest of the school.

Jessica reached the stool and put the hat on top of her head and it slipped down over her eyes, blocking out the rest of the school.

"Hmmm, very difficult," whispered a voice in her ear. "You've got a great mind. A bit of a temper, yes. And plenty of courage, oh yes, plenty of that. Which House to send you to though?"

Jessica began thinking as hard as she could, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.

"Not Slytherin? But really, that's where you belong, even if only for your family."

NO! Please, anything but Slytherin, even Hufflepuff! Just NOT Slytherin!

"Well, if you're sure," the hat said. "GRYFFINDOR!!" Jessica knew the hat had shouted this last part to the hall. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled the hat off her head and ran off to the Gryffindor table, which had exploded into cheers.

As she neared the table several boys gestured for her to sit next to them but she ignored them, walking over to where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting.

"I'm glad you're in Gryffindor," said Harry. 

"Me too," said Jessica. She looked at the golden goblets and plates and suddenly realized how hungry she was. "When do we eat? I'm starving."

"As soon as the Sorting is done and Dumbledore starts the feast," Ron said. 

Jessica looked up at the staff table. A few of the teachers she knew because Harry had described them. Then she realized that there was someone at the staff table who she already knew. Byron Chettersburg was sitting up there with the rest of the teachers!

"Was Defense Against the Dark Arts spot the only one empty?" Jessica asked Harry.

"Yes," Harry said, taking a look at the staff table himself. "Why?"

"Then that must be what Byron is teaching!" Jessica said to herself. When Harry gave her a curious look she proceeded to explain how she had met Byron. 

"You ran into him coming out of the bathroom?" asked Ron. "Jessica, first you have to jump onto the train, then you run into the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and knock him over. You must be very clumsy." Ron in fact knew this was not the case, as she had not been the least bit clumsy at his house. 

"Well, you know I try very hard Ron," Jessica said, deciding to go with it. "It does take a great deal of work to be as clumsy as I am." The last student was sorted into a house and Dumbledore rose. "Finally," Jessica muttered, "I'm starving."

"Welcome to all of the new students!" Dumbledore said. "I have an announcement or two that I believe I should take care of before all of you are too befuddled by the feast. Firstly, I would like to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Chettersburg." Jessica heard several people over at the Slytherin table snicker at his name. She glanced over and saw one of them was Malfoy. Somehow it did not surprise her. "And also I would like to mention that, taking into account what happened at the end of last year, I have placed several extra protection spells over the Hogwarts Grounds. In any case, I would strong urge you to not wander about on your own. Now that we have that out the way, let the feast begin."

Jessica looked at Harry. He was staring at his plate with that haunted look in his eyes. Jessica had seen that look several times over the summer. It showed up every time someone spoke of Voldemort. Jessica wondered what had happened last year that could make Harry feel so bad every time it was mentioned.

"Harry, are you going to eat?" asked Ron, who was currently stuffing himself.

"I'm not hungry," Harry said softly with a shake of his head. He was still staring at his empty plate.

"But Harry-" Jessica started softly.

"I said I wasn't hungry," Harry insisted. He stood up abruptly. "I'm going for a walk." He strode out.

"Harry!" Jessica called after him. He ignored her and kept walking. Jessica now stared down at her own plate. Had she done something wrong? Was he mad at her?

She served herself but did not do more than pick at her food. After nearly ten minutes had passed Harry's owl Hedwig landed on the table. Jessica reached out a hand and took the letter. 

"It's for Harry," Jessica said. She stood. "I think I'll go give it to him."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance but Jessica didn't see them. She walked out of the hall, holding the letter.

Outside the Great Hall, Jessica realized that she didn't know which way Harry had gone. She looked around, wondering where he was. It was then that she noticed the front door was slightly ajar. She walked over to it and peered out. She couldn't see much; it was very dark. She pulled her wand out of her robes and whispered, "Lumos."

Stepping out into the night she shivered. It was chilly and drizzly out and she wished she had her cloak. Looking around she felt lost. Jessica looked around for some hint of which way to go. The water on the grass glistened as the light from her wand hit it. It was then that she noticed there was a place where the water did not glisten on the grass. It was a footprint. Jessica could not help but smile. She slowly followed the footprints, holding her wand low to the ground so she wouldn't miss any. Eventually she found her way to a stadium, which she assumed was a quidditch stadium. She looked around. She spotted Harry sitting against the wall nearby. She approached him slowly.

"Harry?" she asked tentatively. 

Harry turned and looked at her. He sighed.

"Yes?" Jessica bit her lip at the curtness of his answer.

"Hedwig brought a letter for you, Harry." She held out the letter. Harry reached out, took it and stuck it inside his robes.

"Thank you," Harry said. "I'll read it later." He looked at her. "You should go back inside. You're missing the feast."

"So are you," Jessica pointed out gently. "And I'm not really hungry." She sat down next to him. Harry sighed again, staring out into the inky blackness of the night.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Jessica finally asked.

"Nothing," Harry said. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Harry. If you were, you'd be inside eating dinner." Harry didn't answer her. "Harry, you can trust me." He still didn't answer and the silence dragged on and on. Jessica sighed. What was she doing out here? It was cold, wet and Harry wasn't talking to her. She could be inside right now. Eating dinner and chatting with Ron and Hermione.

"Last year, the school had a tournament with two other wizarding schools. It was called the Triwizard Tournament and both this boy named Cedric Diggory and I were champions for Hogwarts. During the last task we both reached the cup at about the same time. I convinced him to take the cup with me. That way both of us and Hogwarts would still win." Harry's voice was very quiet. "The cup transported us to a place where Voldemort was waiting, though Cedric and I didn't know it at the time. He was killed by one of Voldemort's servants. The thing is," Harry said, "He wouldn't have died if I hadn't convinced him to take the cup with me. So, in a way, his death was my fault."

Jessica nodded very slowly. That explained the haunted look in Harry's eyes. He thought that Cedric had died because of him. Jessica could understand how he might think that but it wasn't his fault, not really. This servant of Voldemort, whoever he was, was the person truly responsible for Cedric's death.

"That night was also the night Voldemort came back," Harry said. "He used me to come back. He used my blood." Harry kept staring out at the darkness, as though the answer to the way he felt lay out there somewhere.

Jessica touched Harry's shoulder. He turned and looked at her. 

"Harry," she said. "I understand. I do." She put her arms around him and enveloped him in a hug. To her surprise, he hugged her back. 

They broke apart. Jessica looked out at the darkness. 

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" Jessica asked him after a moment.

Jessica could almost feel Harry's smile through the darkness. "Actually, I'm starving," he said.

"So am I," Jessica said. She smiled. "Would you care to escort me back to the castle Mr. Potter?"

"Why certainly Miss Banks," Harry said. Both of them laughed and together they walked back towards the castle.

When they got back the prefects were leading the students up to their dormitories. Jessica and Harry followed them and Jessica thought, I'm going to need a map just to find my way to my room. The castle was huge and she had a feeling she hadn't seen very much of it yet.

At the end of a corridor they came to a portrait of a very fat lady in a pink silk dress. 

"Password?" she asked them.

"Billywig," someone said and the portrait swung open. Everyone piled into the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room with lots of squashy armchairs. Looking around, Jessica spotted Hermione disappear up a spiral staircase.

"Well, goodnight Harry," Jessica said. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and followed Hermione up the steps. 

When Jessica reached her dormitory she found her stuff was already there next to a four-poster that she assumed was hers. Completely ignoring the two, loud and somewhat annoying, other Gryffindor fifth years besides Hermione, Jessica changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, slipping the photo album under her pillow when no one was looking.

When everyone else was asleep she pulled the photo album out from under her pillow. She turned the pages slowly, looking at the pictures of her young, carefree grandmother. Then she reached the page with Eliza and that boy. Jessica stared at him and watched as he laid a kiss on Eliza's cheek. The Eliza in the photo laughed and kissed him back.

Jessica closed the album. After looking at that photo again and again, she had come to the decision that that boy, whoever he was, had been Eliza's boyfriend. Jessica wondered if he had been her grandfather. If that was the case then she didn't understand why Eliza had never liked to speak of him. The way the two of them acted was almost similar to the way Jessica and Harry had acted on the train to Hogwarts. Jessica wouldn't have minded talking about Harry if someone else had asked about him.

Harry...he didn't know about the album. No one did. She hadn't told anyone. For some reason she didn't feel like sharing the album with anyone. She couldn't really think of a good reason why except for the fact that now it was all she had left of her grandmother.

Jessica slipped the album back underneath the pillow. She closed her eyes and maybe ten minutes later she had fallen asleep. 


	6. Introducing the Potions Master

**Chapter Six: Meet the Potions Master**

  


The next morning Jessica found herself being shaken awake by Hermione. Jessica yawned and sat up. 

"You're going to completely miss breakfast if you don't get down to the Great Hall soon," Hermione said. "I would think you'd like to have some food before classes start."

"What?" Jessica asked. "We have classes today?" Jessica had thought that they would be given the first day off to get used to the castle. Apparently, she'd been wrong.

"Of course we have classes today," said Hermione. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Nothing, I just thought, never mind," Jessica said. She tossed back her covers and hurried over to her trunk. "What about schedules, when do we get those?"

"Oh, they hand those out during breakfast so as long as you don't completely miss breakfast you should get yours," Hermione said as Jessica rummaged though her trunk for a set of clean robes.

"Harry and Ron are waiting down in the Common Room," Hermione said. 

"Oh, would you go tell them I'll be down in a few minutes?" Jessica asked.

"Sure," said Hermione. She left and Jessica was alone to change.

Jessica practically threw on the robes and quickly brushed her hair. She hurried downstairs, hoping she'd have time to run back for her textbooks before classes started. The three of them were waiting for her and apparently she wasn't the only one who'd slept late. Ron's hair was a mess; it looked like he'd just gotten up. Harry's hair was messy too but his hair was always that way so it was hard to tell how long he'd been up. 

The four of them made there way down to the Great Hall, which wasn't nearly as loud as the night before because instead of talking people were yawning. As they sat down someone handed Harry a pile of schedules. He picked his out and handed them to Jessica. She found hers and passed them on.

"Ugh, we've got longer classes this year," Ron said.

"Probably because of O.W.L.'s." Hermione had her nose in a book again, not a very big surprise.

"O.W.L.'s?" Jessica asked.

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," Harry said. "Everyone takes them fifth year."

"This is going to be the worst day of the week," Ron said.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"We've had an extra hour added to our Double Potions lesson," Ron said. "As if we don't spend enough time down there as it is."

Jessica studied her schedule. Today was a Friday so that meant she had two hours of Divination and Transfiguration before lunch and two hours of Charms and Double Potions after lunch. From the way everyone at the Gryffindor table spoke about Potions Jessica had deduced that it was not a nice class. Jessica finished eating.

"I'm going back to the common room to get my books," she said. "I'll meet you guys outside the Divination classroom, ok?" She walked off.

Jessica managed to make it back to the common room without getting lost. She went up to her dormitory and grabbed the books she would need for Divination, Transfiguration and Charms. She couldn't make her Potions books fit in her bag too so she decided she'd get them during lunch. She grabbed a stack of parchment, three or four quills and two bottles of ink and shoved those into her bag before hurrying downstairs and back out the portrait hole. 

Jessica realized with a slight shock that she didn't have a clue on how to get to the Divination Classroom. She glanced at her schedule. It said class was in the North Tower. How did she get to the North Tower? Luckily, she was spared from having to figure this out because Harry came up to find her. Apparently he'd realized that if she tried to get to the tower on her own she'd get lost. Ron caught up with them and they all headed off to the North Tower.

The Divination classroom was extremely hot and stuffy. A perfumed fire was going in the fireplace. The 'classroom' looked more like a tea parlor with all its chintz armchair and fat little poufs.

"How nice to finally see you in the physical world," came a misty voice. A woman was standing in front of them. Her glasses made her eyes look huge and Jessica was strongly reminded of a grasshopper. She wore numerous beads and necklaces and wrapped around her shoulders was a gauzy spangled shawl.

"I am Professor Trelawney," she said. Her voice was supposed to sound very mystical. In Jessica's opinion, it sounded ridiculous. She managed to keep her feelings from showing on her face. The last thing she needed was to get on a teacher's bad side her first day. 

"How nice to meet you," Jessica said. Her face was a polite mask. Her voice contained the barest hint of insincerity but Professor Trelawney didn't pick up on it.

The three of them went to find a table as the two other Gryffindor fifth year girls came in and started talking with Professor Trelawney. 

"Is she always like that?" Jessica asked Harry quietly. 

Harry nodded. "If she's not trying to impress us she's predicting my death. It gets very annoying after a while."

The classroom slowly filled up and Professor Trelawney started talking about what they would be doing this year. They would start with Seeing in mirrors, then they would move on to dream interpretation. If there was time they would work on trances. She gave each of them a mirror.

"Clear your minds and concentrate!" called Professor Trelawney.

"See anything?" Ron asked.

"Nope," Harry answered.

"I do," Jessica said dramatically. 

"What?" Ron and Harry asked simultaneously.

"I have a zit on my nose," she announced quietly, sending Ron and Harry into silent fits of laughter. "And, I have _eyebrows_!" 

Professor Trelawney noticed Harry and Ron laughing. "I would think some of us would take this seriously. Your future could depend on what you See." She looked pointedly at Harry.

Harry yawned making Jessica giggle. Professor Trelawney, unable to get a reaction from Harry, looked at her. 

"I would like to warn you, dear that you are destined for tragedy," she said. "You are bound to lose your love, and your family."

Jessica abruptly stopped laughing. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't cry here; she wouldn't cry here. She opened her eyes and glared at Professor Trelawney.

"I don't know who told you that my grandmother has disappeared, but she is not dead," she said with quiet, suppressed rage. "Don't you say she is. It's none of your business." Jessica gave Trelawney her death glare, daring her to say something else. Trelawney turned away muttering something. 

"Jessica," Harry said. "Calm down. She's an old fraud and she doesn't know anything."

Jessica took a deep breath. She couldn't wait for this class to be over.

  


Later at lunch the Great Hall Jessica was complaining, not about Trelawney, but about how much homework Professor McGonagall had given them.

"And she's head of Gryffindor house isn't she?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Then why can't she go easier on us?" Jessica griped. Then she realized just how annoying she sounded. Trelawney must have really gotten to me, she thought. "Have I been complaining all lunch?"

Ron and Harry nodded as Hermione said, "Yes. You have."

"Sorry," Jessica said. "I'm a real brat, aren't I?"

"But you're a gorgeous brat," Harry said with a grin. 

"Oh, please," Ron said as she and Harry started to kiss. "Come on guys, I'm trying to eat here!"

"You're just jealous, Ron," Jessica said teasingly after she and Harry broke apart. 

"Jealous!" Ron exclaimed. "Of you two?"

"Yes," Jessica said simply.

"You wish," Ron said, rolling his eyes. Still, Jessica couldn't help but notice how he watched Hermione out of the corner of his eyes.

  


After lunch the four of them reluctantly made their way down to the dungeons for Potions. It wasn't until she'd picked a seat and set down her book bag that she realized she'd forgotten to stop by Gryffindor Tower and get her books. 

"Harry, I don't have my book!" she said. "Do you think I have time to go get it?" 

Harry looked at his watch. "Maybe," he said doubtfully. "You'll probably be late though." 

"I'll chance it," she said, dashing for the door. She narrowly avoided running into Malfoy and completely ignored his extremely rude comment as she headed for Gryffindor Tower. 

She kept glancing at her watch on the way back, hoping against hope that maybe she'd make it back in time. Ten feet from the door she knew she was late. She slowed down to a brisk walked and stepped into the classroom. 

Professor Snape stopped talking and glared at her. She walked quickly to her table and sat down beside Harry, pretending she'd been there the whole time. 

"May I ask who has just interrupted my lesson, since I do not seem to recall you ever being in this class before?" Snape asked silkily. 

"My name's Jessica Banks," she said quickly. 

"And what, Miss Banks, was the meaning of walking in late?" Snape asked. 

"I'm sorry I interrupted your class Professor," she said, apologizing and forgetting to answer. "I promise it won't happen again." 

"I did not ask if it would happen again," Snape hissed. 

Jessica was getting a bit frustrated. She'd apologized for being late; what more did he want? She'd even promised to not be late again, which would be a very difficult promise to keep. 

"Is there a particular reason you are ignoring my question, Miss Banks?" Snape asked. "Or are you just stupid?" Out of the corner of her eye Jessica saw Malfoy and his friends laughing. 

"I resent that remark, Professor," Jessica said icily.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for being late and your cheek, Miss Banks," Snape said just as icily. "And I will take away another five points if you cannot give me a good reason for being late." 

"I was getting my books," Jessica said resentfully. "I forgot to grab them during lunch." 

Snape stared at her. Jessica noticed his eyes were dark, almost black. He looked like he was taking her measure. Jessica glared at him angrily. 

"Unfortunately for you, Miss Banks, your poor memory is not a good enough excuse. Five points from Gryffindor." The Slytherins sniggered. 

"That's not fair!" Jessica shouted, standing up. Harry tried to get her to sit back down. 

"Sit down, Miss Banks," Snape said coldly. "This is my class and I will decide what is fair." 

"YOU ASKED WHY I WAS LATE!" Jessica screamed at him. 

"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor! Now sit down or it will be fifty points and a detention!" Snape ordered. 

Jessica sat, but she continued to yell. "I went and got those books so you wouldn't take points off! I assumed you would rather I have my supplies! Sorry, my mistake! I'll just leave my potions supplies in the dormitories from now on!" 

Snape walked slowly toward her desk and Jessica had a gut feeling that she'd gone way too far. He lowered his face close to hers and said silkily, "Detention, Banks. And you will have a weeks' worth of them if you ever yell in my class again." 

"Sir," Jessica said with quiet anger. "You breath stinks." 

Snape's black eyes flashed but he just stood up and stalked back to the front of the classroom.

"Is he always like that?" Jessica asked Harry under her breath. 

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Great," Jessica muttered. She mentally added Potions to a list of classes she hated.

"Hey, Jessica," Ron said from the table next to theirs, "I think you broke a record."

"I can't believe I have detention!" Jessica said. "And I lost Gryffindor forty points in less than five minutes! I'm hopeless."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Harry told her. "He always takes points away from Gryffindor for no good reasons."

Snape talked about different types of healing potions for half the period and then he set them to work on their first potion of the year, an advanced version of a potion to take care of queasiness. Near the end of the period somebody's potion exploded. 

Harry didn't even look up. "Neville," he said.

Jessica watched as Snape descended on the boy, who was shaking.

"Every year, Longbottom. You do this every year. No matter how clearly I state the directions. Nothing penetrates that skull of yours. Everything I say goes in one ear and out the other," Snape said. "Is there a particular reason your potions explode? Are you simply trying to kill your classmates? Or are you just stupid?" Neville didn't answer; he looked as though he was trying to keep from being sick. "Go to the Hospital Wing, Longbottom, before you throw up. And don't show your face in this class until you've learned how to do it right."

Jessica glared at him. So he couldn't pick on people his own size. He had to pick on boys like Neville, who were already afraid of him as it was. Snape turned and saw Jessica's glare. His black eyes glinted dangerously. He stalked towards her. Jessica felt her glare falter. 

"Banks!" he snapped. "Since you are busing staring at others in the classroom I would assume your potion is finished?"

"Yes," Jessica answered quietly. Jessica had a feeling that if she said something wrong she would lose Gryffindor more than just fifteen points. Now was not the time to be an annoyance.

"Good." Snape's eyes were still glinting maliciously. "Then you will not object if I test your potion?" His eyes seemed to be daring her to talk back, to refuse. Jessica knew better.

"Why would I object?" Jessica said innocently.

Snape held out a small potion bottle and Jessica filled it with her potion. Snape handed her another potion bottle. This one was already filled with something. Jessica had a strong suspicion that it held some that would make her feel incredibly sick. Jessica took out the stopper. Slowly. She hesitated.

The class bell rang. Jessica set down the bottle. Class was over. Snape could try to intimidate her into following through on his little "test" of her potion, but he could not force her.

"Sorry, Professor," Jessica said, not meaning it the slightest bit. She hurriedly packed up her things. "I've got a tutoring session to go to. I can't be late." And with that she dashed from the room, Harry right behind her.

"Banks," Snape called after her. "Be back here for your detention at midnight."

Outside his classroom Jessica breathed a sigh of relief. She had no doubts that she'd gotten the potion right but she also had no desire to taste what was in that bottle. 

"I got lucky, didn't I?" Jessica asked.

"Very lucky," Harry said. "Even if you did get a detention."

"And it was about time somebody told him off," Ron said.

"I wonder what he's going to make you do for detention," Hermione said.

A horrible thought occurred to Jessica. "You don't think he's going to make me test everyone's potions do you?"

The four of them shuddered at the thought. "If he does he's more of an evil git than I thought," said Ron.

"I'd better get going," Jessica said. "See, in a way I do have a tutoring session. McGonagall told me she'd give me some stuff to help me catch up if I dropped in this afternoon. We don't have anymore classes do we?"

"Not today," said Hermione.

"I'll meet you guys back at the common room then," Jessica said, swinging her book bag over her shoulder.

"You sure you can find your way back?" Harry asked.

"I'll be fine," Jessica said as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She strode off.

  


Later that night Jessica was sitting up in the common room, bent over the extra work McGonagall had given her. Jessica was doing her best to remain awake; she knew that if she fell asleep she'd forget all about detention. She wanted to forget about it anyway. At ten till midnight Jessica put away all her supplies and made her way down to the dungeons. At midnight on the dot, Jessica stepped into the Potions classroom where Snape was waiting for her. 

"So," Snape said quietly. "You decided to show up after all?"

Jessica didn't answer. She knew that Snape was just trying to bait her and she wasn't going to let it work. 

Snape directed her to a stack of filthy looking cauldrons. He gave her a scrub brush and Jessica started on what must have been the most disgusting chore of her life. She didn't want to know what had been brewing in these cauldrons. All of them smelled horrible and by the time she was done, Jessica was willing to bet she smelled just as bad. She walked up to Snape's desk. He was grading an essay and Jessica saw the name "Draco Malfoy" on it. An idea popped into her head.

"I'm finished, sir," Jessica said.

"You can go then, Banks," Snape said, not glancing up.

"Here's your brush, Professor," Jessica dropped the filthy, muck covered scrub brush onto Malfoy's essay and ran from the dungeon before he could say a word. 

It wasn't until she'd cleaned herself up and climbed into bed that she realized she'd gotten two birds with one stone. Malfoy's essay was ruined and even if Snape didn't make him re-write it, she would still have the satisfaction of knowing that she'd ruined it. Jessica curled up in her bed, smiling to herself. For the first time in days she didn't stare at her grandmother's photo album for hours before drifting off. She went out like a light.

That night Jessica slept well for the first time in months.


	7. Declaration of Death

**Chapter Seven: True Losses and True Friends**

  


Jessica quickly became accustomed to life at Hogwarts. By the second week she could find her way around well enough to not be late to classes again. And it was a good thing too because Byron was the only Professor who didn't mind if you were late. Well, that wasn't true, he minded, but he also understood how hard it was to be on time every day.

Jessica loved Byron's classes as much as she hated Snape's classes. In Defense Against the Dark Arts they were working on dueling. With Voldemort on the loose Dumbledore had deemed it necessary for them to learn how to defend themselves. Jessica didn't see how Voldemort could possibly get at them while they were in Hogwarts though. Dumbledore was there and everyone said he was the only one Voldemort was ever afraid of.

About three weeks into the year there was a notice in the Gryffindor common room announcing Quidditch tryouts. Wood's old position would be open. It also appeared that they were looking for a reserve Seeker.

"Well it makes sense," commented Hermione. "Look at all the times you got hurt in quidditch games, Harry. If you hadn't caught the Snitch then the other teams would have won."

"That's true," Harry admitted. "I wonder how many people will go out for Keeper?" He glanced at Ron. "You should try out Ron."

Ron shook his head. "I'd have to get a decent broomstick first."

"You could borrow mine until you get one," Harry said. Ron shook his head again.

"What if I still don't have one by our first match? What would you use?"

"Ron," said Hermione. "You really should try out. You won't know if you're good enough until you do. And at the very worst you could use one of the school's old brooms. Gryffindor needs a Keeper and you're probably the best one for the job."

"All right," Ron agreed.

All of them decided to meet on the quidditch pitch on the day of tryouts. Jessica silently resolved to try out for the part of the reserve Seeker. She didn't think she was terrific but at the same time she knew she wasn't too bad. And since the reserve Seeker might not even play all season she wouldn't be as likely to make a fool of herself.

  


I can't believe I made it! Jessica thought happily. Although when I think about it there really wasn't much competition. She turned away from the list grinning. Harry, Ron and Hermione weren't up yet. Ron was bound to be happy too. He was the new Gryffindor Keeper. Jessica knew that Ron had really wanted to be Keeper.

It was Sunday, the day after Quidditch tryouts. Almost everyone in Gryffindor Tower was sleeping in. Jessica had woken up early and had been unable to fall back asleep. So she had come downstairs to the common room to find that some time last night or early this morning the names of the two people who made it on to the House team had been posted. 

Jessica's stomach growled. It was only nine o'clock but that was late enough for breakfast to be ready. She left Gryffindor tower and headed for the Great Hall. Jessica was relieved to find that she was not the only one up. Dumbledore and a few of the teachers were up at the High Table. She found a spot at the Gryffindor Table, sat down and served herself some breakfast.

When she was halfway through her meal, a midnight black owl landed beside her. She took the letter attached to its leg, wondering what it was about. Jessica opened it as the owl flew off. She read through the letter once and her heart stopped. Unable to believe it, she read it again, this time quietly to herself.

  


_Dear Miss Banks,_

_We regret to inform you that due to our inability to locate your grandmother, Miss Thompson, she has been declared officially dead. In light of this, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who have been your temporary guardians since her disappearance, have been appointed your official guardians._

  


There was a signature but it didn't matter. Jessica's hand started shaking violently. No, no, no! It couldn't be true; it just couldn't! As if on cue she felt tears forming in her eyes. Normally she would have brushed them away but this time she just sat there, half in shock. She didn't realized just how much attention she had attracted until...

"Jessica?" a familiar voice asked. It was Ginny. "Jessica, what's the matter?"

Jessica shook her head unable to make the words come out. How, how could they just give up on Eliza like that? It wasn't fair; they didn't even have a body. They didn't know she was dead; they just assumed that since she'd been gone so long... Yet even as Jessica thought this, she realized that they could very well be right. If Eliza were alive, wouldn't she have found a way to send some sort of signal to the outside world? What could possibly make Voldemort and his cronies keep her alive?

But there's no body, Jessica found part of her mind protesting. Voldemort wouldn't have bothered to hide it. They would have found a body if she were dead.

Jessica felt Ginny grab her arm. "Jessica, come on," Ginny said. "Let's go." Jessica didn't respond. "Come on Jessica, everyone's watching." Jessica still didn't respond and Ginny took control. She led Jessica, letter still in hand, out of the Great Hall before anyone could intercept them. 

"I think," Ginny said, "that you could do with a visit to the Hospital Wing." Jessica was in no state of mind to protest. She followed as Ginny led her through the corridors to the Hospital Wing.

When they reached it Madam Pomfrey led Jessica to a bed, trying to get her to explain what had happened. When Jessica couldn't find the words Madam Pomfrey turned to Ginny for answers.

"She read that letter in her hand," Ginny said. "And then she just kinda, froze. I wasn't sure what to do so I brought her here."

"Miss Banks," Madam Pomfrey said, "may I read that letter?"

Jessica nodded slowly, her thoughts flying in a thousand different directions at once. Madam Pomfrey took the letter from her and read over it carefully. Then she nodded.

"Poor girl," said Madam Pomfrey as she walked over to a cabinet in the corner and pulled out a potion bottle.

"Madam Pomfrey, what's the matter with her?" Ginny asked.

"She's in shock, Miss Weasley," Madam Pomfrey. She poured some of the potion into a goblet. She brought it back over to the bed and handed it to Jessica. "Drink this Miss Banks. It's a potion for a dreamless sleep."

Jessica took the goblet and drained it seconds. Moments later she felt the drowsiness coming over her. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  


Jessica awoke slowly. She was vaguely aware of voices talking softly around her but at first she couldn't make out what they were saying. She didn't move, straining to remember where she was. Then it all came flooding back. Her eyes flashed open and she looked at the people gathered around her bedside. There was Ginny, Ron and Hermione. And Harry was there, staring at her, concern in his eyes.

They realized she was awake and they stopped talking. The silence was unbearable. Jessica made herself talk, unable to stand it.

"Harry," she said, surprised at how faint she sounded. "Ron, Hermione, Ginny. What are you all doing here?"

That, Jessica chided herself, was a very stupid question. But she really hadn't had much choice since none of them seemed able to talk when she awoke.

"Waiting for you to wake up of course," Hermione said. "We heard you were in the Hospital Wing..."

"So we decided to make sure you were ok," Ron continued.

"You are ok, aren't you?" Ginny asked.

Jessica forced a smile. They didn't understand, and there was absolutely no point in trying to gain their sympathy. Jessica hated sympathy. It only made her feel worse. She didn't want it from them.

"I'm ok," she said, her voice too cheery for her own liking. "You all didn't have spend half your weekend waiting for me to wake up you know." She looked at them. "You guys have homework don't you? You really ought to go do that."

"Well," Hermione said. "If, if you're sure you're going to be ok."

"Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it I still haven't done that essay for McGonagall," Ron said.

"I have some Potions homework I ought to finish," Ginny admitted.

"Go on," said Jessica in that same too cheerful voice.

"All right," Ron said as he, Hermione and Ginny started to leave. "You coming, Harry?"

"In a minute," Harry said. The three of them left. Jessica, because she watched them leave, had her face turned away from Harry. Now she looked back at him.

"You're not ok," Harry said softly. "What exactly did that letter say?"

"You, you mean you don't know?" Jessica asked. Harry shook his head.

"When Ginny came to get us all she said was that you'd read a letter and it had put you into shock. Madam Pomfrey didn't tell us anything either, just to be quiet."

Jessica swallowed. She had to tell him; she wanted to tell him. But like before in the Great Hall, the words wouldn't come. She shook her head.

"Jessica," Harry's voice sounded almost frustrated. "You have to tell me. It's not going to get any better if you don't talk about it. It'll only get worse."

"They, they," Jessica took a deep breath and continued, "they said that they'd given up on her."

"Who said they'd given up on who?" Harry asked, sounding confused.

"The Ministry!" Jessica said loudly. Now she started to cry. "They just quit! They gave up Eliza and they didn't even have a body! They just, assumed, since she'd been gone so long..."

Harry was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Jessica, I'm sorry. I, know that's not much but, I'm sorry."

Jessica met his eyes. She got a sense of déjà vu and realized that it was from that time back in the summer when Jessica had first found out Eliza was missing. They had stood in the Weasley kitchen and Harry had said he was sorry.

"I kept, hoping against hope that maybe..." Jessica shook her head. "It was wishful thinking. I just, didn't want to believe, that she was gone."

"No one does," Harry said. "You just, have to remember her as the kind of person she'd want to be remembered as."

More tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of all the happy times she'd had with her grandma. She'd never be able to share times like those with her grandmother again. Dang it, she didn't want to cry in front of Harry but she couldn't seem to stop the tears.

It was then that Harry put his arms around her. She felt herself sobbing into his shoulder as she put her own arms around him. He held her tightly saying, "It's alright. It's alright."

After a few minutes Jessica said, "I'm getting your shirt wet." She laughed through her tears as she pulled away. 

Harry smiled. He pulled away too. "Think you'll be ok now?"

Jessica nodded. She didn't feel terrific, but then why should she? She no longer felt like the world was at an end. That, that was enough. 

"I should be back to the common room sometime after lunch," Jessica said. "I don't feel like going down to the Great Hall for lunch."

"All right," Harry said. He walked out.

Jessica lay back down on the bed with a sigh. Crying had given her a headache.

When Jessica appeared at dinner that night half the Great Hall turned to stare at her. Jessica proceeded silently to her seat beside Harry, carefully ignoring them. She wondered to herself how much they had heard. Jessica found she couldn't eat with them watching her. She glared at as many people as she could and most of them quickly returned to their meals. Everyone in the school had heard about how she had yelled at Professor Snape and they knew she had quite a temper.

She found that there was one person who, when she met his eyes, did not look away. It was Draco Malfoy. He was staring at her but she found it was not his usual hateful stare. He was looking at her as though she had come into the Great Hall wearing Muggle clothing instead of the regular Hogwarts uniform. His expression was on of shock. Jessica wondered what that was about. She shrugged mentally as she looked away. She started eating as she thought about the idea she Harry and Hermione had come up with earlier that day.

Ron, who was, after all, the Gryffindor Keeper, needed a broomstick. However, he couldn't afford one. The three of them had decided to buy him one. They were going to buy him a Nimbus Two thousand. Jessica knew Ron needed a broom more than she did, that was why she'd offered to help pay for it.

The first match was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. It was to be on Wednesday. At first Jessica had wondered how they were going to get down to the village to buy Ron his new broom before then. She shouldn't have worried. Harry said he knew a way to take care of it. Jessica trusted him.

Jessica finished dinner and, saying a brief farewell to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, she walked from the hall. She went back up to Gryffindor Tower where, once in her dormitory, she pulled out her photo album and pulled the curtains to her four poster shut. Jessica opened the album to the page and stared at it, tears in her eyes. Every time something bad happened she turned to this page. She had always thought it made her feel better. Tonight though, it made her feel worse. She slammed the album shut, and immediately regretted doing so; one of her fingers was in the way. She pulled it out and shook her hand, glaring at the album as though it had hurt her finger intentionally. 

Jessica lay on her back in bed. Slowly started to drift off. By the time Hermione came in from the common room Jessica was fast asleep.


	8. The Necklace

**A/N: **I'm back! *smiles at imaginary applause* Thank you thank you! I will do my best to post more often now. Promise! Reviewer thanks at the end.

**Disclaimer:** Oh, woe is me that I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. Were it not for all the fans who would be desolated if I should give this up, I would die from sadness right now. (Translation: I do not own Harry Potter.)

**Chapter Eight: Halloween and Christmas**

They won the first Quidditch game of the season and Ron was ecstatic about his new broomstick; he'd actually given all of them a hug upon receiving it. Jessica was not needed in the Quidditch game, which was a good thing because it would have taken Harry getting seriously injured to get her into the game. Jessica, as much as she wanted to hear a lot of Gryffindors shouting her name, did not fancy the idea of Harry being out cold or him having a broken neck.

Lessons, though not always enjoyable, were far from horrible. Unless of course you called the torture known as Double Potions as lessons of course. Actually they weren't as bad as they could have been; Snape was only leaving directions on the board and letting them attempt to make the potions on their own. Jessica found while she wasn't nearly as bad as Neville in potions, she was far from being very good at it. Jessica consoled herself with the fact that at least she didn't have to spend detentions in Snape's classroom; lessons were enough, thank you very much.

Actually lessons weren't as bad as they could be. Jessica was surprised because she had expected Malfoy to throw taunts at her every time she entered the classroom. But he didn't; in fact he had approached her the other day. He had acted as though he'd wanted to say something, other than the usual insults. But then Harry had asked him what he'd wanted and he'd muttered "nothing" and walked off. Though she'd been mildly curious as to what he'd been about to say, her dislike of him kept her from seeking him out to ask him.

Harry had explained about Eliza to Ron, Hermione and Ginny. The word spread all around the school somehow and if people weren't giving her sympathetic looks then they were avoiding her gaze in the corridors. It was quite annoying and Jessica wished they wouldn't do it. It wasn't like she was a psycho for crying out loud. Perhaps going off on Snape hadn't been such a good thing after all; people seemed to think she would start yelling at them any moment. Though if they kept acting the way they were she'd be sorely tempted to do just that.

The first Hogsmeade weekend was coming up; it was the Saturday before Halloween and Jessica was looking forward to a small break from all the homework she had. It seemed she'd picked the wrong year to try and catch up; students were to be taking O.W.L.'s this year and she'd never had this much work before in her life. Never mind the fact that she was behind in most of the classes anyway. Hermione had really done a good job tutoring Jessica but she still had half of fourth year to cover and Hermione never seemed to have any time to give her tutoring lessons.

That Saturday they went down to Hogsmeade together. Ron was determined to pay them all back in some way for the broomstick and he finally settled on buying them some butterbeers in The Three Broomsticks. Jessica didn't mind at all since she found she rather liked butterbeer. They then followed Ron off into Zonko's joke shop. Jessica, who had never been one for pranks or practical jokes, wandered out of the shop, telling Harry she'd be right back. She headed over to a supply shop nearby; she needed another bottle of ink and some more parchment. She'd only been borrowing from others for the last few days now.

She picked parchment quickly enough but she had a bit more trouble deciding what kind of ink to buy. Jessica had an odd habit of drawing on her arms at bored moments during class and she had to keep that in mind. Finally she narrowed it down to three bottles, one that was a sort of shimmery green, one that was sky blue like her eyes and one that was lilac colored. Trying to decide between them, she barely noticed when someone stepped up next to her. That was until they spoke to her.

"Hello, Banks," Malfoy's voice said. Jessica looked up at him sharply. It wasn't so much the fact that he spoke that got her attention but rather the lack of venom in his voice.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Jessica asked rather rudely.

"I just..." Malfoy was looking uncomfortable. "I wanted to say I was sorry about your grandmother."

Jessica stared at him. What in the world was going on? Draco Malfoy, giving her sympathy? The fact that he'd managed to speak to her without anger in his voice was astonishing enough but this?

"Uh, thanks," Jessica said uncertainly. "I, uh, appreciate your concern." Was this actually happening? It felt kind of like a bizarre dream. 

Draco turned and walked away, leaving her staring after him. Had they really just managed to talk to each other without insulting one another? Jessica stared down at the inkbottles and randomly grabbed two of them before heading up to the counter to pay for her purchases. She handed over her money and walked from the store, lost in thought. That had been odd. What she wanted to know was why Draco suddenly cared when before all he'd been able to do was insult her.

"Hey Jessica," Harry's voice came. She looked up. Harry and the others were approaching her. He noticed the shocked expression on her face and perhaps fearing that she was going back into shock, hurried over. "What happened?"

"I, just spoke to Malfoy, without him insulting me," she said very slowly. She saw her shock suddenly mirrored on Ron's, 

Harry's and Hermione's faces. She quickly related the conversation to them. 

"You told him you appreciated his concern?" Ron asked in disbelief. "He was probably lying!"

"Ron, you didn't hear his voice," Jessica said exasperatedly. "It was completely devoid of hate or anger or anything like that. He sounded almost sincere."

"But why would Malfoy suddenly care?" Hermione wondered as the three of them walked along. "I mean, normally he'd be bugging you about going into shock."

"I know, I was wondering the same thing," Jessica said. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Well, just because he managed to say a civil word to you doesn't mean his outlook on life has changed," Harry said darkly. "As far as I'm concerned he's still an evil git. You shouldn't hang out with him," he added, throwing a glance at Jessica.

"Harry, it'd take a million Galleons to make me hang out with him," Jessica said. "And even then I'd be reluctant to do it." Ron let out a snort of laughter and Hermione didn't reproach him. 

Jessica knew Draco called Hermione a Mudblood. In her opinion the whole deal with "pure-bloods" was ridiculous, Hermione was Muggle-born yet she was top of her class at everything except Defense Against the Dark Arts, in which Harry was better than her. Neville was a pure-blood but he was far from being top of the class. It was just plain stupid. How anyone could actually believe crud like that astonished her.

Jessica was fairly silent for the rest of the Hogsmeade trip, though she did gasp with astonishment when they led her into Honeydukes, the wizarding sweet shop. Never in her life had she seen so many extraordinary sweets; she spent half an hour deciding what to buy. Eventually Harry had to drag her to the register before she could change her mind on what she wanted. 

Jessica walked back to the castle with Harry, Ron and Hermione. The memory of Draco's odd behavior retreated to a dark corner of her mind as she spoke with her friends about Halloween. Jessica was cheerful on the way back. The trip to Hogsmeade had lifted her spirits.   
  
  


When they arrived back at the common room Jessica stayed downstairs a moment to finish up her conversation with Harry and Ron while Hermione went upstairs to the girls' dorm. Jessica followed her a few minutes later. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was Christmas Eve. The castle had emptied out and Jessica had stayed. So had Harry, Ron and Hermione. She could have gone to the Weasleys' and they would have welcomed her with open arms. But she didn't think she could handle a family Christmas. Ron, Harry and Hermione could have gone as well but they'd stayed. Jessica knew they'd done it for her and she could not have been more grateful. 

They weren't the only ones there for Christmas. Jessica knew that Draco Malfoy was among those who had chosen to stay. All for of them agreed that this was odd; according to Harry he hardly ever stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas. 

Jessica was making her way back up from dinner with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hermione and Ron were talking and Jessica observed them out of the corner of her eye with a hint of amusement. They really didn't know how much they looked like a couple. 

They finally somehow reached the Common Room. Jessica was very tired. She'd been up all the night before, wrapping presents in the dark. Surprisingly they'd turned out ok. She hadn't even dared to light her wand for fear it'd wake Hermione and she'd see her present before it was wrapped. Still despite how tired she was Jessica stayed up in the Common Room with her friends. They sat by the fire awhile, just talking. Finally everyone decided to go to bed. Jessica and Harry hung back from Ron and Hermione for a minute.

"Goodnight Harry," Jessica said. She leaned against him and felt his warm arms enclose her in a hug. She hugged him back. 

"Goodnight Jessica," Harry said. She moved to break the hug but found herself instead kissing Harry. She felt her heart soar. She could not ask for a better present than that from him. They broke apart and Jessica proceeded to the girls' dorms. 

"Jessica wake up," A very familiar voice said, waking Jessica. Hermione shook Jessica's shoulder and said, "Jessica come on! It's Christmas!"

Jessica sat up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. There was a pile of packages and the end of her bed. She scrambled out of it to her presents.

She grabbed a lumpy package and practically tore the wrapping paper off of it. Inside was a lilac-colored sweater from Mrs. Weasley. Jessica held it up, admiring it. She set it carefully on the bed. Next was _Quidditch Through the Ages_ from Harry. Jessica was sincerely thankful for it. She was always borrowing Harry's copy of it and she was glad to have her own. After that was a bag full of joke stuff from Hogsmeade from Ron and lastly a book on Charms from Hermione.

Once present unwrapping was done everyone prepared to head down. Jessica told Hermione to go on ahead. She wanted to clean up the wrapping paper she'd left on the floor. As everyone left the dorm she gathered up the paper into a bundle to make it easier to toss out. Then she noticed the small present at the foot of her bed. It looked suspiciously like a jewelry box, Jessica decided as she picked it up. She carefully pulled the paper off it. Sure enough it was a jewelry box. She opened it and gasped. Inside it was a small note and a necklace. The necklace was made of silver and it held black diamonds. Jessica found that she liked the necklace a great deal and she couldn't exactly explain why. Shaking her head she looked at the note.

Your grandmother once wore this. Now I give it to you.

~Someone Who Knows

Jessica stared at the note. The handwriting was almost like calligraphy and Jessica realized with a shock that it was remotely like her own. Who had sent her this? It was once her grandmother's? Why had she never seen it worn then?

Jessica picked the necklace up out of the box. The black diamonds seemed to flash as the light hit them. _Put me on!_ it seemed to cry. She found herself undoing the clasp and fastening the necklace around her neck. She shivered for a moment as the cold metal touched her skin but Jessica figured it would warm in a moment. She fished around in her things for a mirror and found one. Holding it up she examined how the necklace looked on her. 

She found herself almost smiling. The necklace was beautiful. It seemed to match with her face and hair. Jessica moved to take it off so she wouldn't seem too showy but suddenly she changed her mind. It couldn't hurt anything to wear it. Her friends knew she didn't care about being showy and it had been her grandmother's after all. Her hands dropped down to her sides and she headed down to the common room.

Down in the common room everyone who had stayed for the holidays was talking and showing off their presents. Jessica smiled when she saw Harry, Hermione and Ron. Her friends, who'd stayed at Hogwarts for her. She couldn't have asked for better friends.

Harry was the first to notice the necklace she wore. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. 

"Hey, Jessica," he said. "Where'd you get that necklace?"

"I," Jessica said, hesitating. Would he really understand? No. They'd just be suspicious wouldn't they? They'd think that she shouldn't wear it and she couldn't do that. It was one of the few things she had left of Eliza. "It belonged to my grandmother," Jessica said, not really answering and hoping her response would deter him.

It did. "Oh, er, sorry," he said, with the air of someone who wants to avoid a touchy subject. 

"No it's ok," she said, smiling with relief. That relief faded somewhat when she noticed Hermione watching her suspiciously out of the corner of her eyes. She hadn't believed her story.

"It looks very nice," Ron said, sounding as though he were trying not to upset her. "Don't you think so Hermione?"

"Well, yes, it does," Hermione admitted. The suspicious look in her eyes faded somewhat. Jessica found herself relaxing. Smiling and thanking each other for their gifts, the four of them headed down to breakfast. But the thought of the necklace and the question of who had sent it hovered at the back of Jessica's mind.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

And now, as promised,

**Reviewer Thanks:**

**_PippinsMyHobbit: _**Thank you so much for reviewing! No it's not the end, I just gave up on posting for a while. School and my POTC ff took over my life. I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one who feels rejected when nobody reviews! I know that stories should be written because they demand to be but it still can be upsetting when no one reviews. So thank you, you kinda rekindled my desire to finish this story. See you next time! (Oh, btw, did you like Chapter Six? Hehe, it's one of my favorite chapters is all.)

And that's all folks! See you next time.


	9. Dischord and a Shift of Allegiance

**A/N:** Fanfic.net doesn't seem to like the symbols I've been using, it keeps deleting them. If you see a row of entirely bold letters it means that there is a time break. A row of periods means a separation between story and author's remarks.

**Disclaimer: **You know, I wrote to JK asking her for the rights but all she did was call me a silly American. sigh Still not mine. O woe that is me.

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**Chapter Nine: Fights and a Change of Friends**

It was a week after Christmas when Jessica and Harry had their first fight. Jessica had been continuously making rude comments about the amount of homework McGonagall was giving out. Finally Harry had rounded on her and told her to shut up about it. Hurt and angry she sat apart from him in all their other classes and wouldn't speak with him. They ended up resolving it after dinner but deep down both of them were still a bit sore over it.

The next fight was sometime in the second week of January. Again it was over Jessica's behavior. She had lost her temper with one of the first years and started yelling at him. Harry got on her about that. She didn't need to yell at him, Harry had said. If she'd just spoken with him he would have stopped. Jessica got fed up with Harry and started yelling at him too, before storming up into the girls' dorms.

They fought all throughout the second and third weeks of January. Almost every time the fights had to do with Jessica's behavior. Jessica found she was getting incredibly sick of listening to Harry cataloging her faults.

Then during the fourth week of January they had their biggest, and in a sense, last fight.

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It started in the Great Hall. It was just a small comment Harry made about her attitude. She started bickering with him and by the time they got back to the Gryffindor common room it had reached the critical line.

"Why do you have to be so angry at me all the time?" Harry asked. "I'm not out to get you Jessica! You don't have to bite my head off!"

"You always fix the blame on me!" Jessica shouted. "All the fights we have, you manage to pin them on me! It's not fair, because they're just as much your fault as they are mine!"

"How is that?" Harry snapped off angrily. "I'm forcing you act like a prat, am I?"

"You're so nit-picky," Jessica said. "I'm never good enough for you. You pick on my faults nonstop, and it doesn't help Harry! If you just accepted me–"

"What?" Harry burst out. "I'm supposed to **want** a girlfriend who acts like a Slytherin?"

"You act like they're **all** evil!" Jessica said. "Have you ever even tried to get to know them? Have you?!"

"I don't talk to people who shout insults at me Jessica! And how are you suddenly the expert on Slytherin?" He looked at her, his gaze demanding an answer. "You've been talking to that evil git Malfoy haven't you?!"

Jessica had wanted to avoid this. For weeks she'd been meeting with Malfoy and just talking with him. Malfoy was not all bad. He had been raised with some extremely screwed up morals but he was not evil. And he listened to her.

"Malfoy's not evil, Harry!" She shouted at him.

"No, he's just my worst enemy!" Harry said. "My **girlfriend** has been spending time with my **worst enemy!**" Harry looked at her strangely. "How long has it been going on Jessica?"

Realizing what he meant Jessica cried out, "It's not like that! We've just been talking!"

"A real likely story." Harry stared at her. "I thought we meant something, Jessica. I thought you cared." His eyes met hers. "I guess I thought wrong, didn't I?"

"Harry–" Jessica started.

"Don't Jessica, just don't."

Jessica felt her anger really stir. He wouldn't even listen to her! She had tried to explain and he had brushed aside her words as though they meant nothing.

"Fine then," Jessica said shortly. Her voice trembled, but whether it was from grief or anger she wasn't sure. "I tried to explain! It's not my fault that you couldn't see the truth if it bit you in the arse! Just remember that you lost me, Potter. You lost me. I haven't lost anything." Jessica saw Harry jerk as though he had been slapped across the face at her use of his name. She turned and stormed towards the girls' dorms.

No one met her eyes. She was almost glad. She would have burst out crying if she had met anyone's eyes. It seemed to take a millennium to reach the tops of the stairs. Finally she entered her dorm and reached her bed. Pulling the hangings around her four-poster bed closed she collapsed onto it; crying at what she 'hadn't lost'.

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She stayed behind her curtains all evening, and when Hermione tried to talk to her she pretended to be asleep. Jessica heard the other two Gryffindor fifth year girls commenting on her fight with Harry.

The next morning Jessica didn't go down to breakfast, instead she found her way to the kitchens. She'd learn of where they were from Hermione when she'd been going on about the horrible conditions the house elves lived in. After the house elves had brought her a stack of toast and a napkin she walked through the halls, avoiding most people's eyes. It was sure to be around the whole school by now. The whole common room had seen it for crying out loud.

When she reached the entrance hall she ran into Draco. He was standing there and when he spotted her he hurried over.

"Where have you been all morning?" he asked. "I've been waiting for you! Why weren't you at breakfast?"

"I don't know why you bother to ask," Jessica snapped irritably. She didn't feel like having to explain it. "Potter probably spread it around the whole school."

Draco stopped two feet away. "Why did you just call him Potter? And he's spread what all around the school?"

He didn't know, Jessica realized. And so she related the story of their breakup to Draco. When she was done she thought she saw a smug smirk flutter across his features. But no, he only looked concerned for her.

"I'm sorry," Draco said, sounding completely sincere.

"Don't be," Jessica said. "It took me a while to realize it but he's a jerk. And it's his fault, not mine."

"I agree." Draco said. He then glanced at the pile of toast in her hands. "I take it you weren't planning on going into the Great Hall?" Jessica shook her head no. "Then let's walk."

The two of them headed for the oak doors, pulled one open and stepped outside. It was warm and pleasant out for January, though there was a slight bite to the air when the wind blew. Jessica and Draco walked side by side, not really talking very much. She snacked on the toast and he just walked beside her, not saying anything. Jessica realized just how much her opinions had changed since she'd first come to Hogwarts. She'd thought Harry was the greatest guy in the world and Draco the worst. Now she felt as though Draco were a best friend and Harry the jerk. It was almost the opposite of the way it had been before. It wasn't a change Jessica had necessarily wanted but it had be unavoidable.

"Jessica," Draco asked. Jessica turned to him.

"Yes," she asked, a hint of thoughtfulness still in her voice.

"Us, being seen together is only going to confirm what Potter believes," he said. "I don't care but... Does it matter to you?"

Jessica snorted. "If he is too stupid to see the truth then I'm going to let him believe whatever he wants. Besides," she said, her voice suddenly filled with malice, "he'll know how I felt all the time he was criticizing me. He deserves it."

"If that's how you feel..." Draco said, too softly for her to make out his tone, she was only just barely able to catch his words.

"It is, Draco, believe me, it is," Jessica said just as softly. Their walk continued in silence but for some reason Jessica felt happy. She felt very happy indeed.

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That evening Jessica saw the rest of the Gryffindors crowded around the notice board. Jessica read it over the shoulders of all the younger students who walked away disappointed. It was a notice about a ball that would be taking place on Valentine's Day. Jessica would have been happy but it occurred to her that she had no one to go with really, Draco was sure to go with that slut Pansy Parkinson. Jessica couldn't stand Pansy, the girl was always hanging around Draco and pretending that the two of them were going out. And she treated Jessica like dirt, even though Draco had made it clear Jessica was a friend.

Jessica turned from the message board and went to find a corner to sit in to do her homework. She would have sat down in her favorite corner except Potter, Ron and Hermione were sitting there. Jessica refused, absolutely refused to go anywhere near Harry. He had ignored her all day and she had decided if he wasn't going to do anything to make up then neither was she. Jessica walked over to the fireside and sat down to work on her Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. Byron had been assigning a lot of homework lately to help prepare them for O.W.L.'s. Jessica was struggling with it and she couldn't ask anyone for help. Out of the three of her former friends Harry was the best one with Defense Against the Dark Arts but no way was Jessica even going to speak to him. With a sigh Jessica closed her text and decided to go see McGonagall right after breakfast or something on Sunday. She walked upstairs and once in the fifth year girls' dorm she pulled out her photo album.

She had become almost obsessed with the picture of her grandmother and the boy Jessica had deemed her grandfather. She desperately wanted to know who this boy was but at the same time she was afraid of showing the picture to anyone. She'd never really known why but the thought of showing the picture to anyone else made her uneasy and Jessica had always been one to trust what her feelings told her to do.

When Hermione came in Jessica shut the album with a snap. Hermione looked at Jessica with curiosity. "What's that?" she asked in a friendly voice.

Jessica was slightly surprised that Hermione was still speaking with her. Ron, like Harry had been refusing to acknowledge her presence ever since the fight.

"It's a photo album of my grandmother when she was in Hogwarts," Jessica said softly.

"Oh, I see," Hermione said with a nod. "Do you mind if I look at it?"

"No, not really," Jessica said, and found herself realizing it was true. _Odd, _she thought, _just a minute ago I could've sworn I wanted no one to look at it._ Jessica carefully handed the album over to Hermione, who handled it just as carefully. She leafed through the pages, looking at the pictures momentarily before handing it back to Jessica.

"You don't have to hide that you know," Hermione said. "I know you and Harry fought but that doesn't mean you have to alienate me too."

Jessica felt her heart soar. Hermione still understood; she still wished to remain friends with Jessica. Then she thought about Draco. What would Hermione say if she knew that Jessica now counted Draco among her close friends? Still, here was a chance to keep Hermione's friendship and she was going to take it.

"I thought that you'd reject me too, like Ron," Jessica said softly.

"Ron's a twit," Hermione said casually. "He can be a great friend but he's a twit and more than that, he's a boy so of course he's going to take Harry's side."

"Thank you, Hermione," Jessica said. "I appreciate it."

"Just don't ever yell at me like that," Hermione said with a smile.

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The next day Jessica walked down to the Great Hall alone. She didn't sit with Harry, Ron and Hermione but she did smile at Hermione when she entered the hall. She sat off by herself at the end of the table. She was just finishing up breakfast when Draco came over to her. Jessica could feel the entire hall watching them.

"Hey, Jessica, I wanted to ask you something," Draco said. Then he too felt the gaze of most people in the hall on him.

"Do you want to walk?"

"Please," Jessica said and she stood and sauntered out of the hall with him.

Once they were in the entrance hall Draco turned to her again.

"Well, I was just thinking, you know the Valentine's Dance?"

"Yes," Jessica said. "What about it?"

"I was wondering if maybe, you'd be willing to go with me," Draco said all in a rush.

"Oh course!" Jessica said. Draco let out a sigh of relief.

"So where do you want to meet up before the dance?" Draco said. "Since we can't meet in our common rooms."

"How about we meet by the Potions classroom?" Jessica said. "Both of us know where it is and then we can look like

we already met together almost like we're from the same house."

"That works," Draco said. He smiled at her. "Are you busy today? I was wondering if you'd like to hang out today and collaborate on homework or something of the sort."

"Sure, I'd love to hang out," Jessica said. "Hey, did you figure out that spell for Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Yeah, I did, why?"

"I've been having some trouble, think maybe you could help me with it?"

"Sure, no problem," Draco said. "Go ahead and go get your stuff."

Jessica headed off to grab her stuff, grinning broadly.

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The next few weeks pass slowly for Jessica. Some days she would be happy all day until the evening. She used to play wizard's chess with Harry and Ron. Now she couldn't. Hermione wasn't into it and neither was Draco. She could have played with the Weasley twins but she was fairly certain they would refuse. They were busy with their joke shop, which Jessica had found out about over the summer.

Other days she would be in a foul mood all day. Life was going too slow, everyone was stupid, nobody understood her and similar thoughts passed through her on those days. Those were the days that Draco would teach her spells. He taught her curses that he insisted were more useful than the ones Byron was teaching them. Nothing forbidden of course but some of those curses could be nasty and the thought of using them on Harry brought a smile to Jessica's face on those days.

When she thought back on those days Jessica found herself wondering where those thoughts had come from because she'd never felt like that before she'd broken up with Harry. Finally she just attributed it to not enough sleep and nerves about the approaching O.W.L.'s.

Valentine's day approached and Jessica found herself becoming nervous about that. People in the Gryffindor Tower were still talking to her, how would they react when they saw her going to the Ball with Draco? Would they shun her as Ron had been doing? And worse, how would the Slytherins react? She didn't really want angry Slytherins aiming curses at her back as she walked along the halls. Jessica's nerves got better though, when Draco told her that anyone who cursed her would have to deal with him.

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And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...

**REVIEWER THANKS:**

**_PippinsMyHobbit:_** Good to know that I made you happy by updating. As to Jessica being interested in Snape, do you mean romantic interests or just being curious about him? She's too mad to be either one right now, but she won't become romantically involved with him, that I know. Hope you like this chapter. (Oh, by the way I read your ff, but the review button doesn't work for my computer and your email address bounced my email. I like your ff but I do find it a bit confusing. Hope to see more of it soon.)


	10. Violated Expectations

**A/N: **Hey. I might not be able to put a post on for a while cause my next chapter is not ready yet and I have finals coming up. I will try to get something on ASAP. Anyways...

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**Chapter Ten: Valentine's Day**

Valentines Day dawned bright and clear. It was cold out though and Jessica wouldn't get out of bed until noon because she was trying to stay warm. At one point Professor McGonagall came in looking extremely worried and asking whether Jessica was ill because Jessica was always up by nine o'clock at the latest. Jessica managed to convince her otherwise though.

When she finally got up, Harry, Ron and Hermione, along with half of the Common Room were gone. Apparently they'd gone out with the other Gryffindor boys to have a snowball fight. With the common room almost all to herself for a change Jessica found a comfortable blanket and curled up with a book by the fire. She spent almost the whole day there though at about three she went down to the kitchens for a snack since she'd missed both breakfast and lunch.

At five o'clock she went up to change into her dress robes and try to do something about her hair. Jessica never could to anything with her hair, simply because she didn't know how. Finally, after a good deal of fuss she just brushed it and left it down. She did take a bit of time to put on some black eyeliner, which brought out her blue eyes. Then she made sure the necklace rested against the front of her robes. She fingered it as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had decided that her necklace was lucky and she had a feeling that she would be needing a lot of luck by the time the night was over.

Jessica left Gryffindor Tower, her nervousness mounting. As she made her way down to the dungeons she could feel the incredulous stares of the Slytherins who passed her. Definitely apprehensive now, Jessica came to a stop just outside the Potions classroom. She waited for several minutes, tapping her foot and nervously pacing and she was almost about to walk off and leave when Draco came along.

"Sorry, I got hung up," he said. He looked at her and said, "You look really nice."

"Thanks, uh, you too," Jessica said. In reality Draco's high necked robes made him look like a vicar and in her opinion the look did not suit him at all. Still, she didn't have the heart to break this too him.

"Shall we?" Draco said, offering her his arm, which after a second of indecision, she took. Together they walked up out of the dungeons and to the shock of all the students in the Entrance Hall, they proceeded to the Great Hall, chatting casually.

Jessica could feel the entire hall's incredulous stares on them. She fingered her necklace as they talked, and felt herself calming down as Draco picked a table and they sat down.

"So, how are you today?" Draco asked her as they sat down. He had gotten into the habit of asking this ever since she had nearly cursed him on one of her bad days.

"Tired, but otherwise fine," Jessica said. "It's odd how the longer you sleep the tireder you feel."

"If you're having trouble sleeping, Madam Pomfrey could probably give you a sleeping potion," Draco said, concern etched into his face.

"No," Jessica said as she fiddled with the cutlery on the table. "No, I'm fine."

They kept up the basically pointless conversation for the next few minutes. Jessica nearly laughed as Pansy walked by their table, throwing her the dirtiest look possible. The next instant though, Jessica felt her heart drop.

Harry had just entered the Great Hall and unlike herself, he had come without a partner. Behind him walked Ron and Hermione, both were smiling.

Harry stepped away from the doorway, his eyes searching and they widened with shock, before hardening as he saw her sitting at the table with Draco. He had seen them in each other's company before, but never so publicly. Jessica watched, her heart sinking lower as he made some comment to Ron and Hermione and they looked. Ron's eye's narrowed and Hermione's jaw dropped. She too had know that Jessica had been around Draco but she hadn't realized how close the two of them had become.

Harry moved his gaze away from her, probably to find a table as far from them as possible. Jessica turned away too, but not before Hermione's hurt eyes met her own. She sunk back in her chair. She should never have agreed to this.

"What is it?" Draco asked, turning around to look where her eyes had been only moments before. His glance was met by hostile stares from both Ron and Hermione. They turned away only moments later to follow Harry to a table that was indeed as far as possible from them.

"Ah," Draco said in understanding as he turned back to Jessica. He glanced at her. "Do you want to leave?" he asked her. "We can leave if you want to."

For a moment Jessica seriously considered it. But then Harry and Ron would know they had gotten under her skin, and she couldn't stand the thought of that. She had to stay. Her hand found its way to her necklace and she touched it a moment feeling better about her decision.

"No," she said. "No, let's stay."

Dinner was horrible, the two of them couldn't seem to manage any decent conversation and every time she so much as glanced in their general direction she would receive hateful stares from Ron and Harry. What bothered her most of all though, was the betrayed look in Hermione's eyes every time their eyes met. Each time Jessica would look away, almost as though a sharp pain had gone through her. Each time she would take a deep breath and touch the black diamonds in her necklace.

Finally everyone had finished dinner and the tables were pushed off to the side. A small, obscure band set up on one side of the dance floor and the Professors opened the dance. Draco stood and smiled at her, holding out his hand.

"Shall we?" he asked her. Jessica merely nodded as she stood and put her hand in his. Draco led her onto the dance floor.

She might have actually enjoyed it if it hadn't been for the fact that she was getting hateful stares from many directions. As they danced Jessica met the eyes of her fellow Gryffindors, only to be given a cold stare. She realized, as the song ended and she convinced Draco to leave the dance floor, that the reason they glared at her was because they saw her as a traitor. Gryffindor and Slytherin had been rivals for nearly a thousand years and in befriending Draco she had ignored that rivalry that they all stuck to.

The two of them danced several more times. Yet every time she moved out onto the dance floor Jessica felt as though she were stepping out into the open and everyone was pointing at her in anger. It was about nine o'clock before the two of them stepped off the dance floor.

"This is ridiculous," Jessica muttered under her breath. She couldn't stand to be in this hall with all these hateful people one moment longer. It was one thing to have Harry angry at her. It was quite another to be hated by her entire house and some students not in it besides.

"What?" Draco asked her.

"I said, let's go, I can't stand this," Jessica said as she met Hermione's eyes once more.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked her, looking at her a bit strangely, as though he expected her to change her mind. She nodded

The two of them proceeded towards the doorway out of the Great Hall. It was then that she noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione were headed to the doorway as well. They met at the doorway at the same time.

Both groups stopped and for what seemed like an eternity they just looked at one another.

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Harry knew that Jessica was in Gryffindor but for all the time she spent with Draco and the Slytherins she might as well have been one of them herself. So while it didn't surprise him when he saw her sitting with Malfoy on the evening of the Valentine's Day Ball, he found that it still hurt. And that was what made him angry; he hated the fact that she still had a hold over him.

The silence between them stretched on and on. The two groups did nothing but look at one another.

"Hello Potter," Jessica said, her voice colder than winter snow. Harry's name was spoken as a swearword.

"Go away," Harry said coldly. His eyes traveled from Malfoy to Jessica and back to Malfoy again. "We didn't ask for your company and we don't want it."

"And you thought we **wanted** your company?" Jessica snapped. She seemed to be ignoring Ron and Hermione; her gaze was fixed on Harry. "Think again."

"Yes, we have better things to do than hang around with you, Weasel and the Mudblood, Potty," Draco added. Hermione stiffened. Ron lunged forward and Harry had to hold him back.

To everyone's surprise, Jessica turned to Malfoy and slapped him across the face, hard. Her eyes were so angry that her gaze could have melted a glacier.

"Call her that again and I will give you more than a slap across the face, Draco Malfoy," she said, pronouncing his name in the same manner that she pronounced Harry's.

Draco stared at her halfway between shock and fury. He didn't take this kind of treatment from anyone, especially not in public. He started to speak.

"Don't," Jessica ordered. To everyone's shock he closed his mouth. "Hermione Granger," Jessica said softly, her voice filled with anger that she was no longer trying to conceal, "is better with magic than anyone in your pure-blood family could ever hope to be. She is better than you." Jessica turned on her heel and strode from the room. People stepped out of her way as she headed for the doors to outside. After a moment, not meeting the eyes of anyone in the trio, Draco walked out after her.

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Jessica walked across the dark grounds, not paying attention to where she was going. She failed to notice that she was headed straight for the Forbidden Forest. It was only the sound of someone coming up behind her that kept her from heading right into it. She whirled around to see who it was.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Jessica asked, making her voice ice cold. His name was once again a swearword as it fell from her lips.

Malfoy's eyes were almost as angry as hers. "You can't do that!" he said, his fury radiating in his voice. "You can't just make a fool of me like that! I don't take that from anyone! I won't!"

"You'll take it from me unless you want me for an enemy again, Malfoy!" Jessica snapped. "I'm sick of your airs and the way you treat anyone who's not pure-blood like dirt! I meant what I said back there! Hermione and I don't always agree but she is better than you; she always will be! Just because I have a disagreement with someone does not give you the right to call their friends dirty names! If I want Hermione called dirty names I'll do it myself! I'm not going to apologize for what I did back there because I was right!"

Draco's eyes burned angrily. He plunged his hand into his robes for his wand. Jessica had hers out and at his throat before he got his fully out.

"Give a me reason," she breathed softly. "Give me a reason and I swear I will."

Draco froze. He'd just recently taught her some particularly nasty curses, the sort that could get you into trouble with your head of house just for using them on inanimate objects.

"You want to tell Potter all about the fact that we're friends, fine," Jessica said. "But if you're going to say we're friends then you're going to listen to me! I don't need you. I had every right to slap you. So either live with it and keep my friendship or leave it and have me for an enemy again."

"All right, all right," Draco grumbled after a minute. He stuck his wand back inside his robes and Jessica drew her own away from his throat. Draco's eyes still burned angrily but Jessica could have cared less. How dare he speak that way about Hermione? Sure she was Harry's friend but that didn't mean that she deserved to be insulted every time she turned around. Hermione had been the only one out of the trio who understood. Jessica walked away angrily.

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And now, the moment you have been waiting all day for. That's right it's...

**REVIEWER THANKS:**

**_Trinka: _**Hehe, glad you like. I've worked very hard on it. As to Dumbledore and Minerva forgetting her, they really didn't. You'll see what I mean by the end of the ff but if you want a hint, take a closer look at that note from Dumbledore in chapter 2.  
In regard to your review to the previous chapter, I really can't answer any of those, but I suppose you knew that. Glad you picked up on the necklace.


	11. Darkness Gathers

**A/N:** I apologize for not posting sooner, I have been busy. I am actually preparing to leave the U.S. for a year on a student exchange to Denmark. So I haven't had much attention on my fan fic. But I am back now and I hope to have another post soon. (Oh, and isn't the third Harry Potter movie just awesome. He he, I love it.)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. glares at lawyers standing nearby There, are you happy now?

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**Chapter Eleven: Darkness Gathers**

Jessica's eyes stung with tears as she stomped off across the grounds. She was just so mad! How could he have done that to her? She had hoped that he had forgotten about being cruel to Hermione...

She threw herself to the ground in the shade of a large tree by the lake. Tears slid down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly. It seemed as though everyone who she had met in the magical world had betrayed her in one way or another. It wasn't fair... She'd never done anything to them...

Jessica laid there on the cold grass and cried until she couldn't cry any more. But that didn't stop her from wanting to. Exhaustion overtook her and she slipped into sleep.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Draco Malfoy went back inside after his argument with Jessica, furious. She still insisted on protecting that know-it-all Granger. He wasn't going to talk to her if she insisted on acting as she did. He stormed to his dormitory and laid down on his bed, drawing his curtains shut. He laid there and fumed for an hour before finally falling asleep.

He woke to Crabbe and Goyle's snores. But that wasn't why he had woken, their snores never bothered him. Somewhere deep inside him he had a feeling that something was wrong. He silently got out of bed and proceeded, just as silently out of his dorm and common room. His feeling of dread grew stronger as he entered the entrance hall. Biting his lip he looked around, then he headed for the door that led to outside. He pulled it open and stepped out.

It had snowed in the hours which he had slept and it was much colder. He shivered and following his instincts headed for the lake. As he drew closer he found himself scanning the shore. At first he saw nothing. Then he saw a strange formation in the snow. As he neared it he saw that under the snow it was lilac colored. For a moment he didn't understand the significance of this, then, understanding, he broke into a run. Sure enough, under a thin layer of snow lay Jessica, curled up into a ball.

Draco knelt down next to her and brushed the snow off of her face. He reached down and touched her face, which felt only a bit warmer than the snow that had been resting on her a moment ago. Fear shot through him. Was she dead? She hadn't responded to his touching her face. He watched her intently for a moment and then noticed the rise and fall of her ribs. It was there, but so minuscule that he had failed to notice it before. Not dead then. But close. Draco knew without needing to be told that if she did not get help soon she very well might die. But what could he do?

Well, he reasoned, the first thing would be to get her inside, out of the cold. Slowly, carefully, he slid his arms underneath her and picked her up. She was heavy and while he could manage it he found himself wishing for Crabbe or Goyle. Slowly, with Jessica's weight pressing down on his arms, he made his way back up to the castle.

Once inside, he had to consider what to do next. He knew he ought to get her to the Hospital Wing but that was a long way from the Entrance Hall and Draco did not think Filch would believe his story if he was caught. Draco knew that Jessica needed help as soon as possible and getting caught by Filch would only slow that down. Finally, Draco decided to take Jessica to Professor Snape. Draco knew where to find him and he didn't know where to find Professor McGonagall, Jessica's head of house. Draco set off for Professor Snape's private room, which he knew was located just off of Snape's classroom. By the time he got there he was nearly to the point when he couldn't carry her any longer. Setting Jessica down on the floor, he commenced to bang on the door to Snape's personal room.

"Professor!" he called, his voice urgent as he banged on the door. "Professor!"

A moment later the door flew open revealing a very dishelved Professor Snape wearing a long gray night shirt.

"What is so important that you have deemed it necessary to wake me in the middle of the night Draco?" Snape asked, slightly irritated but no more than usual. Then his gaze fell on Jessica. He stared at her for a moment before looking back to Draco.

"I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk outside Professor," Draco said, hoping his explanation sounded plausible. "I found her by the lake, covered in a thin layer of snow."

Snape bent down and touched her face with his hand. He kept it there for a moment before removing it abruptly.

"She needs to be taken to the Hospital Wing," Snape said, conjuring up a stretcher and lifting her curled up form onto it. The stretcher began to float along out of the room and into the hallway. Snape followed it, looking back at Draco only to say, "Come along Draco." Silently, he did so. The two of them proceeded to the hospital wing in silence, Draco's fear for Jessica rising.

When they got there Snape took Jessica off of the stretcher and placed her onto one of the beds. With a snappish order of, "Stay here and watch her," he hurried off to fetch Madame Pomfrey. Draco stared down at Jessica, their argument and his promise never to have anything to do with her again forgotten. He'd never thought she could look so helpless, so innocent. Guilt washed through him, this was all his fault. Maybe if he'd managed to stop himself from insulting the mudblood Granger...

Snape came back in followed by Pomfrey. As they hurried over, Draco could hear Snape giving her a hurried explanation.

"...found her out in the snow, and she's cold as ice. She needs care, immediately."

"I can't care for her until I'm certain of her condition, Severus," Pomfrey said. "Though I have a good idea from your description." She, like Snape reached down and touched Jessica's face, then felt the girl's clothes.

"She's caught hypothermia," Pomfrey said quickly. "We must get her warm. Severus, the headmaster needs to be informed." Her eyes fell on Snape and she continued, "I may not be able to save her, Severus."

Snape nodded abruptly. "I'll inform the headmaster at once." He glanced at Draco and said, "Draco, stay here and help Madame Pomfrey." He strode out of the room, his robes billowing.

Pomfrey glanced at Draco and met his eyes as he said, "What can I do?" She nodded her head over to a cupboard in the corner.

"Fetch me all the blankets from that cupboard." Her tone was slightly anxious and Draco had to keep himself from running as he hurried over to the cabinet. Flinging it open, he piled all the blankets into his arms and carried them over to Madame Pomfrey. She had just cast what looked like a drying spell on Jessica, because her robes and hair were now dry. Draco set down the blankets on the foot of the bed.

"I need you to lift her," Pomfrey said. "We need to get the blankets laid out underneath her." Nodding slightly he lifted Jessica off of the bed. Madame Pomfrey flicked her wand at the blankets and they unfolded and laid themselves out on the bed. He set her back down and together they began wrapping her up in them.

Even through two layers of blankets Draco cold feel how cold her hands were. He kept glancing at her chest, checking to make sure that she was still breathing. She had to pull through this, she just had to.

The sound of footsteps jerked him out of his thoughts. Snape had returned again, this time leading Dumbledore. He must have already informed Dumbledore of Jessica's situation because the look on his face was very grave. Both of them proceeded to Jessica's bed. Dumbledore touched her forehead a moment, then stood there looking down at her. After a moment he turned to look at Draco.

"How long was she out in the snow, Draco?" Dumbledore asked.

"She's been out there since before it snowed sir," Malfoy said. "We had an argument and she stormed off."

Dumbledore's blue eyes seemed to look right into his thoughts. The headmaster nodded, then pulled out his wand and turned back to Jessica. With a complicated hand movement that Draco's eyes couldn't follow he pointed his wand at Jessica and said, "_Eathoran."_ From the tip of his wand a reddish gold mist emerged and it hovered over Jessica a moment before disappearing beneath the blankets. Dumbledore and everyone else in the hospital wing watched Jessica carefully. After a moment, her short and shallow breathing became calmer and more relaxed. Color began to flood back into her cheeks and Draco could have sworn he heard Dumbledore sigh in relief.

"Your care should be sufficient to handle the problem now Poppy," Dumbledore said, turning to Madame Pomfrey. "But she is not to exert herself in any manner whatsoever."

"Please, Professor," Draco said, saying the words quickly so he would not have to think about what he was saying until later, "may I stay with her?"

"I hardly think she is any condition-" Madame Pomfrey began. Dumbledore raised a hand and she broke off.

"That is up to Professor Snape, Draco," Dumbledore said. Draco turned and looked at his head of house. Surely Snape would let him stay here with her...

After a moment Snape nodded. "However, I expect you to be at breakfast. And you are not to spend the entire day tomorrow up here. Miss Banks will need a good deal of uninterrupted rest. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," Draco said. He moved to the side of Jessica's bed as Dumbledore and Snape walked out of the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey bustled around for a moment pulling different potions off of the shelves and muttering to herself. Finally she walked over to Draco and set a potion down on stand next to Jessica's bed.

"If she wakes up and you're awake then make sure she drinks that," Madame Pomfrey said with a gesture towards the bottle. She walked off to the other end of the Hospital Wing and disappeared out the doors.

Draco stared down at Jessica, unable to stop the guilty feelings rising through him. This was all his fault.

"I'm sorry, Jessica," he said very softly. "I-I shouldn't have called Granger a mudblood. I'm sorry."

For a moment he imagined he saw her smile at those words. Then he blinked and it disappeared. _Great, _Draco thought. _Now I'm hallucinating. I must be really tired._ He leaned over and rested his head on Jessica's bed. _Just for a moment, _he thought, closing his eyes. _Just for a moment._ His breathing slowed and soon Draco was fast asleep.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

When Harry went down into the common room the morning after Valentine's day he was greeted by a very worried Hermione. She looked a mess, there were dark circles under her eyes, her hair looked like she had made absolutely **no** attempt to neaten it and she was frowning and biting her lip nervously every now and then.

"Jessica's gone, Harry," She said quickly, but quietly, so no one else in the common room would overhear.

"Gone?" Harry repeated. "How can she be gone Hermione? It's not like Dumbledore just lets students leave whenever they want to."

"I don't know how, Harry, all I know is that she didn't come back up to the dorms last night. And I've been asking around and nobody has seen her since the dance last night. We've got to find out what's happened to her, Harry."

Harry thought quickly. All right, so Jessica was not exactly his most favorite person in the world, but she was a Gryffindor. And after she had stood up to Malfoy for Hermione's sake last night, he owed her this.

"Have you seen Malfoy?" Harry asked. Malfoy had been the last one to see Jessica.

Hermione nodded. "He was eating breakfast down in the Great Hall when I went to go look for Jessica."

"If anyone knows where she is, it should be him," Harry said. "I think he was the last one to see her last night. "I'm going to go get Ron, and then we can go hunt down Malfoy."

After Ron had been woken and the situation explained to him, the three of them headed down to the Great Hall. As they approached the large doors Malfoy walked out, alone, as he had been for the last few weeks. Ever since he had started to hang around with Jessica, Crabbe and Goyle had not been following him around as usual. Well, so much the better. Now they could get to Malfoy without his "friends" interfering.

Malfoy didn't even look at the three of them as he passed by them. His face appeared distant and worried. The trio actually had to catch up to him and get in his way before he noticed their presence.

As he looked at them, realizing who they were, a familiar sneer appeared on Malfoy's face. "Oh, look, it's Weasel, Granger and Potty."

"And it's the Ferret all by himself," Hermione said, coolly. "Where are your little bodyguards? Or has your nastiness finally driven them off?"

"I don't see what business it is of yours, Granger," Malfoy snapped. "Get out of my way; I'm too busy to waste time talking to a Mud-" He stopped suddenly, cutting off the insult mid-word.

Hermione, Ron and Harry just stared at him in disbelief. Harry looked around but there were no teachers in sight. Had Malfoy really just restrained himself from insulting Hermione?

"We're looking for Jessica," Harry said coldly. "Where is she?"

"Why would I know, Potter?"

"You're the last one to have been seen with her," Harry said. "No one has seen her since the dance."

"Say I did know," Malfoy said. "Why would I tell you? You never seemed to care about her before. You two haven't exactly been getting along have you? You were jumping to conclusions all the time, picking on her every fault; it's no wonder she refuses to associate with you. You weren't exactly the greatest of boyfriends were you?"

Harry's fist flew, almost of its own accord, towards Malfoy's face, where it hit his nose with a sickening crunch. Malfoy stumbled back, his hand going to his nose. As he looked down at the blood on his hand, an expression of anger replaced the shocked look that had been on his face when Harry had punched him. He plunged his hand into his robes for his wand.

"What is going on here?" Harry felt his heart drop as he turned around to see Snape walking towards them. Great, he was in for it now. Snape had been looking for an excuse to punish him all year and now he had one. The problem was that he had actually done something wrong this time, so whatever punishment Snape handed him he would have to take.

"Potter punched me Professor," Malfoy said, his voice slightly odd sounding.

Snape turned to Harry, a look of suppressed triumph on his face. His black eyes glittered as he asked, "Have you some quaint little story for us Potter? Some strange theory about how Mr. Malfoy's was broken?"

"No sir," Harry replied through gritted teeth.

"Then you are confirming what Mr. Malfoy said?" Snape's voice sounded faintly surprised.

"Yes sir," Harry answered. Couldn't Snape just get on with it?

"Well, well," Snape said. "Can it be that you are actually admitting that you did something wrong for once Potter?"

Harry said nothing, but merely glared at Snape who looked at Malfoy and said, "How badly are you hurt, Draco?"

"I think he broke my nose sir," Malfoy said, shooting a glare at Harry.

"Go up to the Hospital Wing and have Madame Pomfrey mend it," Snape ordered. "But you are to return to the dormitory when she is done. You are not to visit Miss Banks, Madame Pomfrey has told me that she not to be disturbed." Malfoy nodded and walked off down the hall.

Harry's glare had turned into a disbelieving stare. As Snape turned back to him, he said, "Jessica is in the Hospital Wing?"

"That is correct, Potter," Snape said quickly. "Now, thirty points from Gryffindor and two weeks worth of detention. I hope that will be enough to discourage you from picking any more fights." He turned and walked off.

Harry turned to look at Ron and Hermione. Ron's face held a look very similar to Harry's while Hermione's face appeared worried.

"In the Hospital Wing," Harry muttered. He met Ron and Hermione's eyes and then all three of them set off for the Hospital Wing at a run.

When they got there however, Madame Pomfrey refused to let them see Jessica.

"She has suffered a severe shock, Mr. Potter and she is not to be disturbed whatsoever," Madame Pomfrey said briskly. "Now unless you are injured I suggest–"

"Can you at least tell us what happened to her?!" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"She caught hypothermia, Miss Granger," Madame Pomfrey said. "Now off with you, she's not allowed to have visitors."

Harry just stared at Madame Pomfrey for a moment, then he turned and walked off slowly down the hallway, with Ron and Hermione still following.

"Hermione," Harry said over his shoulder as they walked, "what's hypothermia?"

"It's when your body temperature is abnormally low," Hermione said. "You can die from it when it's too severe."

Harry stopped in his tracks and Ron nearly ran into him. "You can die from it?" he asked softly. "Hermione, you don't think that-"

"No," said Hermione, cutting in. "Madame Pomfrey would have been much more worried if Jessica were going to..." She trailed off, not wanting to say it. Her voice contained a note of confusion as she continued, "What I want to know, is how she caught it."

"Well, isn't it obvious, Granger?" Malfoy's voice said from behind them. It seemed to lack its usual venom, but hints of it were still there. "She was out in the snow too long."

"And how do you know this?" Harry snapped.

"Temper, temper, Potter," Draco said with a sardonic smile. "Carry on like that and I won't tell you anything." Harry gritted his teeth, reminding himself of the two weeks worth of detention that he already had.

"Tell us please, Malfoy," Hermione said carefully. All three of the boys looked at her strangely. Here she was being polite to the boy who had treated her like dirt for the past five years of school. Hermione ignored Ron and Harry and focused on Draco. "We care about her too."

Draco smirked, though somewhat less markedly than before. "Since you asked so politely, I'll tell you. But not here. It'd be my end if I was seen conversing with Potter and his friends. Meet me in the empty classroom next to the Charms classroom." He turned around and strode off, around a corner and out of sight. Hermione stared after him for a few minutes, then turned to Harry and Ron.

"I don't know about you, but I want to find out why Jessica has hypothermia," she said. "But that's going to mean being polite to Draco. So you can come along, but only if you can talk to Draco without arguing." She walked off to follow Draco, and smiled to herself as Harry and Ron followed her.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Draco was waiting for them in the classroom when they got there. He sat on the teachers desk, drumming his fingers with obvious boredom on the polished wood. He looked as though he were going to say something but then he must have changed his mind, for he merely nodded at them as they entered and shut the doors behind them. The trio proceeded up to the front of the classroom and all took seats on the tables nearest Draco.

"So," Harry ventured after a moment. "Are you going to tell us why Jessica has hypothermia?"

Draco half-glared at him, but then nodded. "Yes. It's really not that complicated." And he told them why.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Up in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey watched Jessica carefully as the girl turned restlessly in her sleep. She frowned, looking at the girl carefully, then she hurried out of the hospital wing, concern on her face. She did not like the look of this. She was going to get Dumbledore.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Jessica was standing in darkness. She couldn't see anything, it was too dark... No, wait. There was a fire nearby, and she slowly moved towards it. She drew closer and saw that there were people standing in a circle off to the side of the fire. Someone was speaking in a high cold voice that made Jessica shiver. She kept moving closer, almost unable to help herself. Soon she could hear the words the person with the cold voice said.

"You have taught your son well, Lucius," the voice said. "He has made it possible for this event to occur."

"Yes, my lord," said one of the men who stood in the circle. Jessica stood in the shadows and watched. All the men who stood in the circle seemed alike, for they wore black robes and masks covered their faces, masks with only holes for the eyes to see out. In the center of the circle stood a man, tall, with skin whiter than new-fallen snow and eyes as red as the Gryffindor quidditch robes. He had slits for nostrils and a cruel smile played about his lips as he gazed down at something near his feet.

"Some of you are perhaps wondering why I have not killed him already," the man said and Jessica heard that high voice once more. There were quiet murmurs of assent from various members around the circle. Jessica's heartbeat picked up. This man, whomever he may be, was evil. She could sense it from the way he spoke and the smile that she had seen playing about his lips.

"We have him. That is true. But I have given your son another task Lucius. One that not even you knew of." The man looked around the circle, smiling again. "He will send the girl to us. She will arrive soon." He cast his eyes out beyond the circle of men, searching, and Jessica felt panic grip her as she realized that she was closer to the light of the fire than she had thought. The man saw her, and he smiled at her...

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"So you are saying that because you upset her, Jessica caught hypothermia?" Harry asked Draco, his voice cold.

"If you want to see it that way, then yes Potter, it is my fault," Draco said, annoyance in his voice. "But if you're going to think like that, then you also have to acknowledge the fact that it is because of me she is alive right now."

"He's right Harry," Hermione said softly. She looked at Draco. "Thank you."

"I didn't do it for you," Draco said, and he stood up and stalked from the room.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Jessica tried to step backwards but fear had frozen her feet to the ground. The man raised his wand and pointed it at her, his red eyes cold. His mouth formed a word she could not hear and rope appeared from the end of the man's wand, and it wrapped itself around her wrists and ankles. She fell, unable to maintain her balance. The circle of men parted and one by one they turned to look at her. She now saw the man clearly, and she could also see that there was a person lying on the ground at his feet. The person's face turned to look at her.

_**"HARRY!"**_

Jessica jerked up in her bed, her eyes wide, searching the room frantically. She, she was in the Hospital wing. Slowly she registered the fact that there was a hand on her shoulder. She looked to the side and saw Professor Dumbledore looking down at her, his eyes kindly, yet at the same time they were keen and penetrating. Jessica felt herself calm under that gaze.

"Hello Miss Banks," Dumbledore said calmly. "It is nice to see that you have finally come to."

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**Reviewer Thanks:**

_**PippinsMyHobbit:**_ Ah do not feel stupid. I actually tried to make it not so obvious so it is actually a compliment to me that you did not pick up on it. Necklace or no necklace, Jessica still has anger issues.

_**Trinka:**_ Not exactly to make her hate Hermione, since, as you noticed, she still likes Hermione. Don't worry, all shall be revealed by the end which I think may actually be coming up rather quickly. And if I have not revealed all, you have my permission to bug me until I do tell all.

Well, did you guys like? I'm sorry if it was confusing, I promise all questions will be answered by the end, if I write this correctly. However, it might take a bit. It will be up ASAP though. And remember, the review button is your friend!


	12. Deliverance and Reparations

**A/N: ** Haha! Did I not follow through on my promise to bring you more soon? Hehe, I think I'm just as eager to know what happens next as you are. Anywho, enjoy. Reviewer thanks at the end (as usual).

Oh, and a brief warning, **I use a curse word in this chapter.** There, just thought I'd give you a head's up. It's not even that bad, I'm just not sure whether you guys care or not.

**Disclaimer: ** Harry Potter is not mine, blah, blah, blah, blah, BLAH. smirks at the group of lawyers who are pouting because they now have no legitimate excuse to sue her Ha. Take that.

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**Chapter Twelve: Deliverance and Reparations**

Jessica could not find the right words. As she searched for the appropriate thing to say, Dumbledore smiled at her.

"You had us quite worried last night," he said. "And it seems you've worried Madame Pomfrey as well, since she came and fetched me. May I ask why you screamed out Mr. Potter's name?"

"I-I," Jessica said, choking on her words. "I had a nightmare." She tried to look away from Dumbledore's eyes, and found that she couldn't.

"Tell me about this nightmare," he said. Jessica hesitated, trying to find the right words.

"It was dark at first, and I couldn't see. But then, I saw this fire. I moved closer to it. There was a group of people standing in a circle. They all wore black robes and masks covered their faces. There was a man inside the circle. He had white skin and red eyes." Alarm flashed through Dumbledore's eyes as she said this.

"Voldemort," Dumbledore muttered. Jessica stared. Aside from Harry, no one she knew dared to use that name. Perhaps Harry had learned not to fear it through Dumbledore.

"Professor?" she asked. "D-do you want me to go on?" Dumbledore met her eyes again and nodded.

"The man, I mean, Voldemort told one of the men in the circle that it was thanks to the man's son that this could happen. Voldemort said that they had not killed someone because they were waiting for a girl. Then he stared looking around and-" Here Jessica choked on the words again, remembering the fear which had petrified her. She felt Dumbledore's hand grip her shoulder once more and she calmed, reminding herself that it was only a dream. "He saw me. And he smiled. I tried to move, but I was too afraid. He raised his wand and ropes came out of it and tied my hands and feet. The circle of people moved out of the way and I saw someone at Voldemort's feet. It, it was Harry."

Again, alarm flashed in Dumbledore's eyes, but in another moment it was gone. He smiled at her again. "Well," he said softly. "It was only a nightmare, yes?"

Jessica frowned and said, "But it seemed so real. And, how could I have a nightmare about Voldemort, and know what he looks like, when I've never seen him?"

Dumbledore, however, did not answer. His eyes had become fixed on her necklace. Jessica looked at him, confused, then, almost protectively moved to put her hand over the necklace. Dumbledore lifted his hand in a gesture for her to stop and she lowered it again.

"May I ask where you found that necklace, Miss Banks?" Dumbledore asked. His eyes, though still kindly, were keen and penetrating again.

It did not even occur to Jessica to try and lie to him the way she had lied to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "I did not find it sir, it was sent to me."

"By who?" Dumbledore asked quickly.

Jessica swallowed. "That's the thing sir," she said. "I don't know who sent it. I-I got it for Christmas and there was no name, just a note which said that it had been my grandmother's."

"I see," Dumbledore said. "Would you mind taking it off for a moment please?"

"Oh, um, of course," Jessica reached to undo the clasp and started to undo it, then found herself instead refastening it and setting her hands in her lap.

"Jessica, I would like it if you would please remove you necklace. I only wish to look at it." Dumbledore's eyes bored into hers as she reached up to undo it once more. This time her hands refused to even start undoing it and she found herself dropping her arms to her lap once more only a moment later.

"Take the necklace off, Jessica," Dumbledore's voice was very soft now. Jessica reached up to her neck, and her hands dropped before they even got there.

"I can't take it off," Jessica whispered, fear creeping into her voice. "I can't, Professor."

Dumbledore sighed. "I thought as much. Have you ever tried before?"

Jessica thought back. "Only, once when I first put it on. I wanted to take it off because it would seem too showy, but, I changed my mind. I don't remember why."

"May I attempt to remove it?" Dumbledore asked.

Jessica nodded. Somehow, she now had a very bad feeling about the necklace she was wearing about her neck. Dumbledore's hands touched the necklace and began to unclasp it, and Jessica gasped as a sharp jolt of pain shot through her. Dumbledore continued to remove it, ignoring her cry. The pain came again, twice as strong as before, but then Dumbledore lifted the necklace away from around her neck and as quickly as it had come the pain was gone. Jessica opened her eyes, for she had closed them, to find Dumbledore's eyes on hers once more.

"I apologize," Dumbledore said, "for not warning you. I suspected that such a thing might happen. I also suspected that if I did warn you, you would not be willing to let me remove it."

"You were right," Jessica said. "What exactly was that?"

"I believe it was a lesser version of the Cruciatus Curse. The necklace seems to be designed so that the spell will trigger should the wearer ever gain the power to attempt to remove the necklace."

"Why would anyone curse a necklace like that, one of my grandmother's necklaces at that?" Jessica said, shuddering to herself at the thought that she had been wearing this necklace since Christmas.

"To ensure that its wearer never took it off," Dumbledore said. "You see, Miss Banks, this necklace also has a version of the Imperius Curse on it. This necklace was designed for the express purpose of influencing others and their decisions. You grandmother once wore it, that is true, but its true owner was none other than Tom Marvolo Riddle, whom you know as Voldemort. It is something which he created when he went to school here."

"But then, how did my grandmother come upon it?" Jessica asked. The thought that she had been wearing a necklace designed to control her was disturbing, but it did explain some things, such as all the fights with Harry. "If it was the property of Voldemort how did she get it?"

Dumbledore sighed again, then said, "I can see that I will have to tell you the full story. However, this is neither the time nor the place."

"But!" Jessica started to protest.

Dumbledore held up his hand and the protest died in her throat. "For now you must rest. You came very close to leaving us Miss Banks. When you are fully healed and rested, then I will tell you the story."

"Yes sir," Jessica said softly, disappointed that he wouldn't tell her. She wanted some answers now! Not later.

"I will take this," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the necklace. "It may be possible to remove the spells from it. If it is-"

"I don't want it back," Jessica said quickly. "I don't want to see it ever again."

"I suspected as much," he said. "Now, then, I will leave you to get some rest." He turned and walked toward the doors to the hospital wing.

"Wait, Professor Dumbledore!" He turned back and looked at her, his eyes inquisitive. "Please, Professor, when will I be allowed to have visitors?"

Jessica could have sworn his eyes twinkled at her. "Oh, quite soon I imagine. Perhaps in a few days if you rest up."

"Well, could you please let Harry know that, that I'd like to see him," she asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes," he said simply, and he left the hospital wing. A few moments later Madame Pomfrey entered the Hospital Wing and seeing that Jessica was awake, hurried over and started examining her.

"Madame Pomfrey," Jessica said, as the nurse felt her forehead. "When can I have visitors?"

"I'll let you know when that time comes Miss Banks," Madame Pomfrey said quickly. She hurried over to a cabinet and took out three different potions bottles. She poured a bit of each into a cup and then handed it to Jessica, who downed it as quickly as possible, fighting the nauseating feeling that rose up in her stomach. Her stomach growled and Madame Pomfrey looked at her. "Are you hungry Miss Banks?" Jessica could have sworn that she heard a smile in her voice.

"Actually," Jessica said, "I'm starving."

"Could you manage some broth, do you think?" Jessica nodded and Madame Pomfrey conjured up a small bowl of it, which Jessica drank slowly. When she had finished with it, Madame Pomfrey handed her another potion.

"Dreamless sleep potion, Miss Banks," Madame Pomfrey said when Jessica gave her a curious look. "Dumbledore said you'd had a nightmare. He suggested that you drink it."

Without another word, Jessica downed the potion. She felt the familiar wave of tiredness sweep over her and she fell back into the safe oblivion.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Madame Pomfrey would not let Jessica have any visitors for two days. Jessica spent the majority of those days in the blissful sleep which the dreamless sleep potion provided her with. Jessica found that, without the necklace, she slept better when not under the potion's effects and she awoke feeling more awake than she had in months. She felt less irritable and annoyed all the time and she knew that it had been the necklace all along.

It was almost amazing how quickly Jessica recovered from the hypothermia. Within two days she no longer felt weak when she tried to walk and she could stomach food again. Madame Pomfrey had even said that if she continued to recover at this rate she could be out of the hospital by the next day. Finally, late in the afternoon after hearing all of Jessica's pleas at least three times, Madame Pomfrey agreed to allow her visitors, as long as she rested quietly if she got tired. Jessica promised she would and Madame Pomfrey went to the door and opened it.

Harry walked in and stood in the doorway looking at her. She smiled uncertainly and he approached her carefully. Once he reached the side of her bed they both stared at each other for quite some time before either of them spoke.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Jessica said, quietly. She met his eyes, and saw that there was no anger in them. Tears welled up in her own. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she got out as the tears began to fall. Harry shook his head.

"It doesn't matter," he said. He looked away for a moment. "Maybe, I was a bit too hard on you and some of your faults. Maybe, I could have been a bit slower to judge." This time Jessica shook her head at him as he looked back at her.

"No, Harry, you were right," Jessica said. "I acted like a bitch and you had every right to try and make me behave. I-I, wasn't in control of myself, Harry."

Harry stared, confusion on his face. "What do you mean, not in control of yourself?"

"Do you remember the necklace I came downstairs with on Christmas?" Jessica asked quietly. "The one which I said was my grandmother's?"

"Yes, and speaking of which, where is it? You never take that thing off."

"Dumbledore helped me get it off, Harry," Jessica said. He opened his mouth to ask another question and she said, "Wait. Wait until I'm finished. It will make more sense then." She took a deep breath. "That necklace was not my grandmother's. Yes, she'd worn it a few times, but it was not hers." She paused, trying to think how to word the next part.

"Then, whose was it?" Harry asked. "Who did it belong to if not your grandmother?"

"Dumbledore said... he said... its true owner was... was Voldemort," Jessica said. She watched horror enter Harry's eyes. "You see, Harry, I had been sent that necklace anonymously for Christmas. With it came a note stating that it had been my grandmother's. It held a lesser version of the Imperius Curse. On-once I put it on, it influenced my decisions. Its influence, to me, seemed like that little voice in the back of your head that's always telling you what to do. So I didn't notice it for that reason. It, started influencing how I thought and felt. And, I think that's why I was always fighting with you. I think, that's what, what he wanted to happen."

"But, why did Dumbledore have to help you to remove it? Once you realized what it was doing to you, couldn't you remove it yourself?"

"In addition to the version of the Imperius Curse, there was another curse. A lesser version of the Cruciatus Curse," Jessica whispered. "I could not have removed it, even if I had found the power to override the other curse's influence on me. I would not have been able to stand the pain."

Harry just stared at her a moment and then, he came up to the bed and hugged her. "I'm sorry, I should have noticed something had changed. I should have made the connection."

Jessica let him hug her, but said, "No, Harry. Hermione didn't even notice the connection. I don't expect it was that obvious. It wasn't like I had changed overnight. More like I'd slowly changed over a longer period of time."

The two of them broke apart. Jessica looked away for a moment. When she looked back Harry smiled at her. It was the first real smile she had seen directed towards her in a long time and for the first time in a long while, she felt truly happy again.

"You know," Harry said, "there are some other people out there who want to say hi to you too."

"Oh, would you tell them to come in please?" Jessica said.

Harry nodded and turned back towards the doorway and said, "Hey guys, you can come in now!"

And in walked Ron, Hermione, and the last person she had ever expected to see in their company. Draco Malfoy. He smiled the half smirk he always wore around her and Jessica could not keep a grin from spreading across her features. While she had been unconscious, they had managed a truce. Nothing could have made her any happier.

"Hello, guys," Jessica said a bit quietly. "It's nice to see you all on speaking terms with one another."

"It was only a temporary arrangement at first," Hermione said. She glanced at Draco with a slight smile, which he studiously ignored.

"Well, I'm glad you extended it," Jessica said. She looked at Draco and said, "Thank you, Draco."

"I don't want you to thank me," Draco said, his voice somewhat annoyed. "Don't thank me for anything." He turned and walked towards the doors.

"Wait, Draco!" Jessica called. He turned around, his eyebrows raised as if to say "What now?" She smiled slightly, and said, "After Madame Pomfrey lets me out of here, will you meet with me some time? Just to talk?"

Draco only nodded curtly and turned and walked out of the room. Jessica shook her head. He was annoyed that she was back on speaking terms with Harry, she could tell by his demeanor. Well, there was nothing she could do about it. She would simply have to repair whatever damage that might have been done later. He would have to adapt to the idea of her being more like a Gryffindor again.

"Well, at least he's gone," Ron said. Jessica fixed him with a small glare. "Sorry, but he was so sarcastic I couldn't say anything without him making some sort of annoying comment!" Jessica shook her head. Ron would never change, he would always see the bad in Malfoy.

"So, what did I miss, classes wise?" Jessica asked with a smile.

"Not much in Divination," Ron said. "The old bat spent most of the time harping on about how you getting hypothermia was a sign that Harry was going to die soon." Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh, she wants us to start a dream diary."

"We reviewed for O.W.L.'s in nearly every class," Harry said. "Except Snape's. We had to do another potion in his class."

"I tried to get your work from the teachers but they all told me you had to come and collect it yourself," Hermione said. "Even McGonagall said that."

"That's all right. If I continue to recover at the rate I've recovered, Madame Pomfrey says she'll let me out tomorrow after classes," Jessica said.

"That's great," Hermione said. "I've been reading about hypothermia, and you really have recovered awfully fast."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "I know. It's all I've heard about from Madame Pomfrey. That and 'get a lot of sleep'. It gets very annoying."

Harry smiled. "I know what that's like. It's been like that every time I've landed myself in the hospital wing."

"Heck, I think it's like that, **anytime** a person lands themselves in the hospital wing," Ron muttered. Jessica giggled. That was something else she had not done in a long time, and she could tell from the expressions on the trio's faces that she ought to do it more often.

Almost as if on cue, Madame Pomfrey swept into the hospital wing. While she seemed happy to see Jessica in higher spirits, she also seemed annoyed that Harry, Ron and Hermione had been in the wing so long. She shooed them out, leaving the place empty again. She came over to Jessica.

"I'd like you to get so sleep," she said.

"I've had loads already, and I don't want to take the potion again."

"You don't have to, Dumbledore said that tonight he wants to see how you do without the potion." She pursed her lips. "At least rest then, if you don't want to sleep, it's-"

"The best thing for me right now," Jessica repeated dully. "Yeah I know." She laid her head back on the pillows, and closed her eyes. God, she was so sick of this place. Ah well, if she got more sleep perhaps it would get her out of here quicker. Though she was not exactly anxious to return in time for classes tomorrow, she had two hours of double potions and while Harry, Ron and Hermione had forgiven her, she didn't know about the rest of the house. Oh well, she would simply have to deal with it tomorrow. She slowly drifted off, even though she hadn't intended to.

_I do hope Professor Snape doesn't make me do an essay on the potion I missed,_ Jessica thought. As the sun set outside, she lapsed into sleep.

**.....................................................................................................................................................................................**

**Reviewer Thanks:**

**_PippinsMyHobbit:_** Hmm, glad to know my last chapter was well received, as I was a bit doubtful of it. And I will have the grace to keep my silence about the review button. Who am I to spoil fun?

_**Trinka:**_ I find your guesses amusing, mostly because they are much more interesting than my actual plans for this fan fiction. But I also find them inspiring, so do keep it up. And as to why Dumbledore didn't notice the necklace before this, it was simply because he had not communicated directly with her at all up until this time. And some of your questions I simply cannot answer whatsoever. You'll just have to wait until we get to that point. As I promised, all shall reveal itself by the end. (Hehe, aren't I just evil?)

I love you guys, thank you so much for reading this faithfully. I must admit I regret that I do not have more readers but you guys make me happy, so who am I to complain? Please review!


	13. Nightmares and Potions

**A/N: **I'm so so so so so SORRY! I'm leaving for Denmark for a whole year on student exchange in eight days and I have not been on the computer very much. Here's another chapter.

**Disclaimer: **If you haven't figured out by now that I don't own this, too bad for you.

**.....................................................................................................................................................................................**

**Chapter Thirteen: Nightmares and Potions**

_She found herself on the ground, wrists and ankles firmly bound as she stared at Harry in horror. The men in masks laughed at her cry, but Jessica's attention was on Harry. His face was bruised and his gaze seemed barely conscious and riddled with pain. It was almost as though he did not see her._

_Voldemort gestured to two of the nearby men. They proceeded towards her, picked her up and carried her back to the circle, where they dropped her rather unceremoniously onto the ground at Voldemort's feet. She felt the air fly out of her lungs and she laid there, suddenly unable to breathe, gasping for air. The men in the circle laughed softly again. As she slowly regained the ability to breathe once more, she looked up. Voldemort stared down at her, the same cruel smile on his lips that she had seen only a little before as he had gazed down at Harry._

_"Hello, Jessica Banks," Voldemort said. That cold voice froze Jessica's blood in her veins as he spoke her name. And it must have shown in her eyes, as all her thoughts did, because that smile grew wider. He pointed his wand at her, and spoke a single word, in a cold, yet somehow amused voice. "Crucio."_

_Pain tore through her and Jessica screamed. It was ten, twenty, a million times worse than the necklace had been and she had barely managed to stand that. Jessica's whole body writhed in agony and she could feel hot tears leaving her eyes from the pain._

_Let me die, let me die. Death would be easier than this, Jessica thought in her agony. And then, miraculously, it was over as suddenly as it had begun. She lay on the ground, aching all over and shivering like she had been tossed out into the snow. The men around her laughed again. Jessica could not stop shivering, a reaction which seemed to please Voldemort. For he too laughed._

_"Our last witness has arrived," Voldemort said softly. "And now it comes to it. Untie his feet, Wormtail, and make him stand. And you Lucius, the same with the girl."_

_Jessica found herself being raised from the ground, the rope around her feet suddenly gone and she stood, still shaking, before the dark lord. Voldemort's attention, however, was on Harry, who seemed nearly unable to stand. _

_"Goodbye, Harry," Voldemort said, softly, and then, in contrast, he shouted, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" A flash of green light issued from the tip of Voldemort's wand and struck Harry right in the middle of the chest. Harry crumpled to the ground, his expression dead and gone. Jessica screamed in agony and the men laughed at her, and both sounds filled the air..._

And suddenly, Jessica felt a slap to her face. Her eyes snapped open to find not Madame Pomfrey standing over her but Professor McGonagall. And, off to the side stood Dumbledore. But behind Dumbledore stood someone she had not expected to see. Professor Snape.

"Forgive my methods, Miss Banks," McGonagall said. "But it seemed that you would not wake otherwise."

"What happened, Miss Banks?" Dumbledore asked.

"The nightmare," Jessica whispered, closing her eyes. The image of Harry's crumpled body swam before her eyes again, and she felt like crying.

"The same one?" Dumbledore's voice forced her out of her grief, for while it was not harsh, it demanded an answer. She shook her head.

"No, a continuation, of the last one. He, he used the Cruciatus Curse on me. And then... he-" A sob cut off any further words. She feared that if she spoke the words, they would become true.

"Yes, Miss Banks?" Dumbledore asked.

"H-he-" Again a sob kept her from finishing her sentence. Tears ran freely down her cheeks, a rare occurrence, since she never cried in public.

"Miss Banks." Dumbledore's tone once more shook her to her senses. This time she met his eyes, and a strange sort of calm washed over her. She felt safe. "Tell me what Voldemort did then."

"He made both of us stand," Jessica said. "And then he killed Harry." Despite the calming influence of Dumbledore's gaze, she felt the tears coming again. Silence fell for a moment. Then Dumbledore sighed and broke their gaze. Jessica began to cry, shaking violently as she did so, and she felt Professor McGonagall wrap her arms around her. Jessica cried into the robes of the Gryffindor head of house. After a few minutes she broke away, wiping at her eyes.

"Jessica," Dumbledore said, "you need to understand something. These nightmares you are having are just nightmares. They are nothing more."

"But they seem so-" Jessica began

"Real?" Dumbledore nodded. "I know. But they are only nightmares nevertheless."

"But, why, am I having them now, when I've never had them before?" Jessica asked.

"Because, Miss Banks, the Dark Lord takes pleasure in breaking the spirit of those who are his enemies," Snape said, speaking at last. "These dreams are his attempt to break you."

Jessica stared, for a moment, then asked, "So you are telling me that Volde-" Snape's eyes flashed warningly. "-er, the Dark Lord, is the one sending me these dreams?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said, and Snape nodded curtly. "It seems they only reach when you are not under the influence of a dreamless sleep potion."

"But, how is he sending these dreams to me? I mean I'm not wearing the necklace anymore." She looked back and forth between Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall, but all of their faces had gone curiously blank. _What in the world is going on?_ Jessica wondered.

"We are not sure how, Jessica," Dumbledore said. "We simply know that he is doing it. But is imperative that you remember, these dreams are nothing but dreams. They will be filled with falsehoods, and you must not believe any information you gather when you have them."

Jessica closed her eyes and once more saw Harry's still form, those dead eyes. "It's hard," she whispered. "It's hard not to believe it."

"As hard as it may be, Miss Banks, you will have to do it," Snape's voice told her curtly.

"I just want to be able to sleep without having another nightmare," she said after a moment.

"And you will," Dumbledore said, then he turned to Snape. "Severus, if you would."

Snape approached the bed and took the cup from the bedside table. He poured something from a potion bottle into the cup, then handed the cup to Jessica after setting the potion down on the table.

Jessica looked at the cup curiously. "A dreamless sleep potion?" she guessed.

Snape's lip began to curl, but it stopped and his expression returned to normal at a glance from Dumbledore. "Hardly. No, that potion will temporarily duplicate the effects of Occlumency. It will stop the dreams, Miss Banks."

"What's Occlumency?" She'd never heard of it before, and she'd never heard Hermione mention the name, though it didn't mean Hermione didn't know what it was.

Snape stared, almost as though astonished she had dared to ask. "Occlumency," he said very slowly, as though explaining something to a daft child, "is the magical defense of the mind against external penetration."

Jessica thought for a moment. "Well," she said carefully, "wouldn't it make more sense for me to learn Occlumency then? Instead of just taking a potion that would duplicate its effects? I mean, what if I run out of potion or I'm not in a place where I can get to it? Then what?"

Jessica could have sworn she saw a twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes. She looked back at Snape. His eyes had gone cold, more so than usual. "Then you deal with the dreams Miss Banks."

"Drink the potion, Jessica," Dumbledore said. Without another word Jessica raised the glass to her lips and drank. She nearly gagged on the potion, which tasted foul, but seeing Snape's eyes on her, with that calculating look that made her feel as though he were taking her measure, she managed to force it down.

"I will be leaving that bottle here," Snape said. "You are to take no more than a quarter of a cup each night. If you do not take it I will ensure that you are restricted to the hospital wing and that Madame Pomfrey administers it. Once you have finished with that bottle, you are to come to me for more." He watched her reaction to this, then spoke again. "Each bottle should last you one week, Miss Banks. If you skip taking the potion and come to me a day late, I will know." Jessica nodded slowly.

Dumbledore smiled, then said, "Now then, you need to go back to sleep. And we will leave." He turned to go and Snape, after looking at her a moment, followed. McGonagall looked at Jessica.

"Would you like me to stay, Miss Banks?" Jessica felt a small smile find its way to her face. She shook her head. McGonagall looked at her a moment, then headed out the door, leaving Jessica alone in the hospital wing. Jessica laid back but didn't close her eyes, knowing the moment she did, Harry's dead body would appear before her again. Whether or not she had the dreams, that image, she felt, would remain with her for a very long time. She stared up at the ceiling and thought.

Snape's words came back to her, striking her suddenly. Voldemort took pleasure in breaking his enemies, he'd said. If these dreams were his attempt to break her, then that meant she was an enemy. While it was hardly surprising, since she was sure he considered all who did not side with him an enemy, she could not think of anything about her that deserved such special attention. If anything, he should be sending such dreams to Harry...

She gasped despite herself. Harry. That had to it. The necklace had caused her to break up with Harry, but once she'd made it clear she still trusted his friends, she'd started having the nightmares. Voldemort must have realized, that without the necklace to stop her, she would make up with Harry, and so he had chosen her as a target. She felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. If the two of them began dating again Voldemort would be able to hurt Harry through her. He must have expected her to go back to being Harry's girlfriend, and then by breaking her, with the dreams, he would be able to hurt Harry.

She couldn't, wouldn't let Voldemort do that. Her eyes teared as she realized what that meant. She could not go back to dating Harry, as much as she may have wanted to. She would have to make sure they both stayed separated. She, would have to give up on him, much as she had before. Only this time it would be harder. Because she was not mad at him, on the contrary, she could not have liked him more at the time.

Jessica closed her eyes with a sigh. The image of a dead Harry sprang to mind immediately. _I'll do anything, to keep him from ending up like that,_ she thought fiercely. _I will do everything in my power to keep him alive._

**x x x x x**

Jessica woke late the next morning. True to his word, Professor Snape's potion had kept her sleep free of nightmares, though Harry's dead face kept coming back to haunt her. But aside from that she had slept soundly. Madame Pomfrey was fussing around her again, trying to find some reason to keep Jessica in the hospital wing for another day, since she had agreed Jessica could leave after the last class was let out. Jessica spent the day rehearsing what she would say to Harry if he asked her to go out with him again. By the time the bell rang signaling lunchtime, she felt certain that she could handle it if he asked her. Madame Pomfrey practically threw a fit when Jessica asked to have what the rest of the students were eating down in the Great Hall but Jessica stood her ground and finally she had a house elf bring up some food. They were having shepherd's pie, one of Jessica's favorite meals. And it was good to be drinking pumpkin juice again instead of twenty different potions.

Jessica spent the last hours before classes were over counting the minutes in sheer boredom. She had nothing to do and if Madame Pomfrey had allowed her to, she would have spent the time pacing. When the bell rang signaling that the last lesson of the day was over, Madame Pomfrey reluctantly allowed Jessica to change back into the dress robes she had originally been wearing when she had arrived in the hospital wing. Jessica picked up the potion bottle Snape had left at her bedside and proceeded towards Gryffindor Tower.

It was very strange seeing the looks on people's faces as she walked through the halls. They were looking at her as though she were a ghost. But then, she supposed she too would be surprised if someone disappeared for four days and then suddenly reappeared in the halls wearing dress robes. Nevertheless, she hurried along, trying to get away from the stares of her fellow students.

She reached the entrance to the Gryffindor Common room at the same time as her friends Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry smiled, Ron said hello and Hermione put her hand over her mouth, like she was struggling not to laugh.

"What?" Jessica asked Hermione as they said the password and walked into the common room.

"It's just that you look like you just woke up," Hermione said. "And the dress robes really make you stick out."

Jessica caught sight of herself in the mirror and laughed. "I do look like I just woke up." She walked away from the mirror and made a beeline for the girls' dormitories.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked, following her across the common room.

"To get some robes, so I can go and get a shower," Jessica said. "I haven't been allowed one since Madame Pomfrey got me under her thumb." Jessica thought she heard Harry snicker but she headed up the stairs to the girls dorms and he turned around and began talking to Ron.

It was quiet up in the dorm and Jessica closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and enjoying the peace.

The door opened behind her and Hermione's voice said, "Are you all right?"

She nodded, not opening her eyes. "Fine. It's good to be back here is all." She opened her eyes and smiled at Hermione, before proceeding to her trunk and digging out clothes and bathing materials.

As she did this, she glanced over at Hermione and asked, "Hey, how long do we have before dinner?"

Hermione glanced at her watch. "Oh, about twenty minutes."

Jessica did some mental figuring in her head. "Ok, that should be enough time," she said closing her trunk and heading out of the dorm.

Harry and Ron were now sitting on one of the couches working on some sort of essay. Jessica walked by then saying, "Hey guys, I'll see you for dinner ok?"

Ron didn't even look up and Harry gave a half-hearted wave over his shoulder. As she left the common room, she heard Hermione saying, "Harry, you don't use distilled essence of acionite in a Draught of Peace!" Jessica smiled and headed off to get her shower.

**x x x x x**

Twenty minutes later, Jessica walked into the Great Hall. She was back in school uniform, and even better she was clean again. She smiled as she entered the Great Hall and for the first time in weeks, she went over and sat down next to Harry. The rest of the Gryffindors looked at her kind of funny, but said nothing. It was probably, she thought, due to the fact that the last time anyone here had seen her, she had been with Draco, and now she was sitting next to Harry. She grimaced at what the other girls in her dorm would think. They'd think she was playing Harry. Oh, well, she'd have to deal with that when the time came. Besides, she thought firmly, she was **not** going to date Harry. **Or **Draco. For that matter she didn't think she would be dating anyone for a while. Not until it was safe to do so. She, she could not afford to allow anyone close to her, not now that she knew Voldemort had decided she was worthy of his attention.

"Jessica, are you all right?" Harry's voice broke into her thoughts. The food had appeared and she had failed to serve any, which, she supposed, was what had prompted his question. She smiled reassuringly at him.

"Fine," she said. "I was just thinking." She began piling food onto her plate, smiling. The prospect of eating something that actually had substance was very appealing.

"Thinking about what?" Ron asked curiously. Ever since Harry and her had made-up in the hospital wing, he seemed like he was trying to be nice to her to make up for ignoring her like Harry. Maybe she was wrong though, but either way, it was amusing seeing him try to make conversation.

"Oh, just, things," she said rather vaguely, in hopes he would not follow up on it and her hopes were granted. Ron nodded and went back to eating. Hermione looked up from her plate at Jessica.

"When were going to get your assignments?" she asked.

"Oh, I was thinking I'd just get them tomorrow," Jessica said. "None of the teachers will be in their classrooms after dinner anyway."

"Oh," she said. "Because Snape gave us an essay and it's due tomorrow."

"Well, he should let me off the hook, I think," Jessica said, rather hopefully.

"Don't bet on it," Harry said darkly. "He's been nothing short of cruel for the last few days. I actually managed to do a decent job on one of his potions and he refused to give me any points because the mist rising off of it was _'more yellow than orange and therefore this potion is poisonous and utterly useless'. _Jessica snickered at Harry's imitation of Snape's voice, because it was actually decent. Harry, however only continued to look angry. "I hate him. I don't care if he _is _one our side, he's evil."

"He can be all right," she said softly. Harry looked at her, a question in his eyes. "I, was having nightmares and he gave me something that would, take care of them."

"Personally, I wouldn't trust anything he gave me," Ron said. "Who knows what he's done to it?"

"He had made it under Dumbledore's instructions, Ron," Jessica said. Her voice held a gentle rebuke. "I doubt he would have done anything to it." To her surprise, Ron turned slightly red and turned back to his food.

Silence ruled over their portion of the table for a bit as all they did was eat. Somewhere down the table large amounts of laughter could be heard, undoubtably caused by the Weasley twins. They had recently taken to pushing the rules as far as they could without getting expelled. While she found them amusing, she wondered how much longer Snape and Filch would tolerate their antics without completely emptying the Gryffindor House Points hourglass.

She looked across the hall at the Slytherin table. Draco was surrounded by Pansy and her group of friends and she was talking animatedly with him. Draco looked over at her table, saw she was sitting with Harry and his friends, and he gave her a very cold sort of look before turning to Pansy and saying something.

Whatever it was he said, it caused Pansy to squeal rather loudly. "Oh, Draco, I'd love to go to the next Hogsmeade weekend with you!" Her voice carried across the tables. Jessica was the only one who seemed to notice. But Draco looked back at her and Jessica knew that he'd meant for her to hear it. She sighed, and avoided his gaze. He had to be very annoyed if he'd reverted to asking out Pansy to get back at her, Jessica knew that he hated the ditsy Slytherin girl. She had a feeling Draco had done that on purpose. She wished there had been some way to keep him from being angry at her, but she could understand. From his point of view, it probably looked as if she and Harry had gotten back together. While she knew that was not going to happen, she also knew he didn't know that and she had a feeling that telling him so would be difficult.

The four of them finished dinner and headed up to the Gryffindor Common Room again. Jessica headed straight up to bed, saying goodnight first to Hermione, who was reading yet another book, and then to Harry and Ron, who were working on what must have been the Potions essay. Up in the dormitory she changed into her pajamas, then, with the hangings pulled shut around her bed she drew out the photo album. This time, she leafed through all the pages looking at the pictures of her grandmother carefully. It was strange, but tonight she felt no overwhelming grief about not having a grandmother anymore, just a kind of remote sadness. Wisely, she closed the album before such a feeling could grow worse and put it away before climbing into bed. She was just drifting off when Lavender and Parvati burst into the dorm, chattering rather loudly. With a sigh, Jessica opened her eyes, and suddenly she remembered the potion she was supposed to take. She pushed open the curtains around her bed. Parvati and Lavender stared a bit but she smiled at them and they smiled back.

"Hello, Parvati, Lavender," she said, opening the potion bottle and filling a cup a quarter of the way. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good," Lavender answered, and Parvati just nodded. Lavender looked at the potion bottle a moment, then said, "What is that?"

"Potion I have to take," she said. She downed it quickly and grimaced at its taste. "Horrid stuff. Hey, what did we do in Divination?" While for the most part she didn't care, it would be nice to know what to expect when she asked Trelawney for make-up work. And Ron had not been much help in that regard, except for his casual reference to a dream diary.

"Oh, we started on dream interpretation!" Parvati said excitedly, and then she was off, talking excitedly about how her dream was a symbol of her coming fame or something of the sort. Jessica smiled, nodded and made exclaimations of excitement in all the proper places, but in reality she paid little attention. She could just imagine how Trelawney would react to her nightmares. The old bat would say that they needed little interpretation. Her nightmares would be 'a symbol of the tragedy' which supposedly ruled over both hers and Harry's lives. Jessica vowed silently to make something up rather than to tell Trelawney about the nightmares.

After perhaps another twenty minutes, conversation between the three of them became so punctuated with yawns that they all decided to go to bed and Jessica tumbled into it, grateful to finally be free from Parvati's incessant chatter. She fell asleep quickly and thankfully Snape's potion worked, effectively keeping the nightmares at bay. Her dreams, which she did not remember the next morning, were blissfully Voldemort free.

**.....................................................................................................................................................................................**

**Reviewer Thanks:**

_**PippinsMyHobbit: **_Sorry to keep you in suspense, but for the most part I can't answer your questions. But I can tell you one thing. Even though she was under the influence of the necklace, which made her like Draco (obviously, since he hates Muggle-borns), she still was capable of making accurate observations. And she saw something good behind Draco's Mudblood hating act.

I can't promise anything too soon but reviews help!!


	14. Unpredictable Personalities

A/N: Well peoples, guess what country this is being posted from? That's right, it's Denmark! And it is so great over here, though according to many I won't be feeling that way after a few months. Anyways, this will probably be finished by the end of my exchange year. I just have one question. Do you want a sequel to this? I can write another story regarding Jessica's family if you guys want me to. SO, what are your thoughts on this?  
  
Disclaimer: Jeg lave ikke besidde Harry Potter med. Den er ejendele J.K. Rowling. (Ha, a disclaimer in Danish!)

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Chapter Fourteen: Unpredictable Personalities  
  
Jessica awoke late the next morning. In fact, had Lavender not been urging Parvati awake in a rather loud voice she suspected she would have slept through the first class. Hermione had not woken her, probably due to the fact that the last time she had, Jessica had nearly cursed her. At any rate, by the time she had dressed, fixed her hair, packed all her books into her book bag, and made her way down to the Great Hall, breakfast was half over.  
  
She sat down at the table and served quickly, managing only a tired mumble which was an attempt at "Good morning." before she fell on her food. A few other people looked up from their meals and returned her mumble but otherwise it was silent at their part of the table. She ate, but the food did not break her out of her stupor and she wished she had gotten up earlier; if she had she could have had time to go down to the kitchens and ask the house elves for something with caffine. She sighed, finished eating and looked around at her friends. Almost in unison the group stood, grabbed their book bags and headed off to class.  
  
The day passed slowly for Jessica, possibly because she was attempting to do her make-up work and classwork simultaneously. She managed all right in Charms, and in History of Magic, but McGonagall caught her at it, took away fifteen points, and watched her like a hawk for the rest of the class. Jessica didn't dare try again after that.  
  
After that they had Divination, which was really quite a joke; under the guise of interpreting a long and complicated dream, Jessica managed to finish copying Hermione's History of Magic notes and she finished the reading on the Intensification Charm, which was supposed to intensify the main emotion a person was feeling at the moment the spell was cast. It sounded simple enough, but she also had to practice it and get the practical aspect finished. She didn't manage to get to Transfiguration though. Unlike the rest of their classes, only an extra half hour had been added to Divination so there wasn't enough time. They headed down to Potions rather reluctantly, though that was nothing new.   
  
Snape simply had them pass their essays forward this time, and though Jessica was curious as to why he had suddenly changed how essays were turned in, she was grateful she wouldn't have to walk up to his desk in front of the whole class without an essay in her hand. Snape set them to doing a very tricky sort of potion, but there was a period right in the middle where all it required was to boil untouched. She took this opportunity to raise her hand. Hermione seemed vaguely surprised, Harry slightly annoyed, and Ron shook his head rather emphatically. It was too late to lower her hand though, Snape had seen it and now he headed over, making scathing comments about various potions on the Gryffindor side of the room as he walked by.  
  
"Yes, Miss Banks?" he asked with a slight sneer as he reached the table she currently shared with Harry.   
  
"I was wondering, Professor, if I might get the make-up work from you now," she said rather calmly and evenly, more so than she had done before. It had been easier for her to be nice to him, now that she knew he could be tolerable.  
  
"Five points from Gryffindor for interrupting the class over something so trivial," he said rather casually. Jessica instantly felt her anger start but she forced it back down. She would not show him her anger; it could make things difficult later. "If you want make-up work, you may see me after class." He threw a disdainful look at both of their cauldrons, but apparently found nothing to critisize for once and he walked off among the tables again. Jessica growled under breath and when neither he nor any of the Slytherins could see, she made a very rude gesture at his back.  
  
This produced several reactions from her Gryffindor classmates. Several stared at her in shock for a moment, then smiled, a few snickered and Ron accidentally laughed very loudly, and it echoed in the dungeon. Snape whirled around, but all of the Gryffindors had the good sense to pretend to be working on their potions. Jessica added the next ingredient to hers as Snape's gaze swept their end of the classroom. He finally gave it up and turned back around. Jessica smiled slightly and turned back to her potion.  
  
At the end of class Jessica took as long as she could in packing up her supplies, hoping that if she took long enough no one would notice if she went up to Snape's desk.  
  
Harry seemed to know what she was doing too, for he gave her a rather understanding look, muttered, "We'll be by the lake," and hurried out of the Potions classroom just behind Ron and Hermione.   
  
Once the dungeon was empty of all the other students she approached Snape's desk, hoping that he would refrain from insulting her if there was no one in the room to witness it and no need to insult her. He didn't look up but Jessica knew he had seen her and she wondered how long she would have to stand there before he decided to pay attention to her. Five minutes passed, then, and Jessica began to wonder if she should say something when Snape spoke.  
  
"Miss Banks, are you mute as well as stupid?" She nearly winced at the sound of his voice, it was harsh and sarcastic.   
  
"Neither, Professor," she snapped back at him, not bothering to hide the dislike in her voice. "I need my make-up work."  
  
Snape finally looked up and met her eyes a moment. Then, in a rather bored voice, he pointed at a stack of papers on the front of his desk and said, "You have until early Monday morning to finish that Miss Banks. If it is not on my desk by then I will deduct fifty house points and I can assure you that your grades in the class will slip below passing."   
  
Jessica grabbed the stack of papers off of his desk and stormed out the dungeon, nearly forgetting to grab her stuff on the way out. She headed to the lake, silently fuming about how unfair he was and why did he have to be semi-decent that one time because now it was screwing her up and making her look stupid. Silently she resolved to ignore the fact that he could be semi-decent from now on. He was a jerk and would probably never change.   
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione were by the lake just as Harry had said they would be and Jessica joined them, shoving Snape's stack of make-up work into her bag in a rather annoyed way. This seemed to disturb Ron but after she'd explained the reason for her being so annoyed he wasn't quite so bothered.  
  
The four of them talked for a while, about nothing it particular, just random conversation about whatever came to mind. Jessica enjoyed it; such conversations were one thing she had missed when she had been so mad at Harry. Eventually the dinner bell rang and they all headed up to the Great Hall to eat, complaining about how much homework they all had.  
  
At dinner Jessica sat next to Harry. She knew it would only strengthen Draco's belief that she and Harry were together again, but she didn't care. She did look over towards the Slytherin table once but Draco was too busy pretending to be interested in what Pansy was saying to even glance in her direction. Jessica rolled her eyes in disgust and looked away. She would have to talk to him soon. Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. She'd catch him on one of his early morning walks. That decided, she   
  
turned back to her food and listened to Harry's description of Monday evening's Quidditch practice.  
  
After dinner the four of them went back up top the Gryffindor common room. Jessica managed to finish her Transfiguration work but by then it was half past twelve o'clock and she opted to head to bed and put off the Potions work until tomorrow. She packed everything up, went upstairs, changed, and tumbled into bed.

**x x x x x**  
  
"NO!" Jessica sat up, breathing heavily as her eye scanned her bed curtains with a franticness only bad dreams could bring about. A moment later Hermione's head poked its way through the curtains.   
  
"Are you ok?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with concern.   
  
"Fine," Jessica said after moment. "I'm fine. Just a bad dream."  
  
"Well, if you're sure," Hermione said. Jessica nodded and Hermione left, heading back over to her own bed.   
  
Jessica laid down again and stared up at the ceiling. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep any more tonight, not after those dreams. She shuddered. It had been impossible to tell if Voldemort had sent the nightmares or not, because she had dreamed similar ones right after her grandmother had disappeared. She laid there for a while, listening. When Hermione's breathing became normal again she glanced at her watch. It was 4:45, which meant that she had about forty-five minutes until Draco went on his early morning walk. Deciding to wait for him by the lake shore, Jessica got out of bed and dressed, being as silent as she could. She went down to the common room and then headed out into the hallway.   
  
The torches were still glowing which meant that Filch and Mrs. Norris would still be on the prowl for out of bed students. She would have to be careful until she got outside. She hurried down to the Entrance Hall, taking care to check before she turned a corner. It was a good thing she did too, because she nearly walked into the same hall as Professor Snape. By pure luck he failed to see her and she had just enough time to duck into an empty classroom until he had passed.  
  
Once she got outside, Jessica headed straight for the tree by the lake which she knew Draco walked by every morning. Once she got there she sat down and waited, watching the horizon. For a while she simply sat there as the horizon slowly changed colors, from black, to light blue to soft yellow. Then, hearing footsteps behind her, Jessica stood up, and turned around.  
  
Draco stared at her for a moment, staring at her in what seemed to be disbelief. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice rather surly.  
  
"We have to talk Draco," Jessica said. "You've been avoiding me."  
  
"Just because I choose to hang out with Pansy now it doesn't mean that I'm ignoring you. Besides, you've been doing the same thing to me. So there's nothing to talk about."  
  
"Draco, please listen to me!"  
  
"No," he said and Jessica found herself shocked by the coldness in his voice. "I'm done listening to you. If you have something to say, go tell it to your boyfriend, because I'm finished with you."  
  
"Harry's not my boyfriend!"  
  
"Oh, he's not? Then explain why you two now spend your every waking moment with each other again. Explain why no one ever sees you apart-"  
  
"It's called being friends!" she shouted. "Jesus, Draco, don't you see that you're acting the same way he did when he thought we were dating?!"  
  
He opened his mouth to retort, and closed it once more as he realized she was right. She took advantage of this bit of silence to speak once more.  
  
"I'm done with dating Draco. I've had enough of it. I just want to be friends. I want to be friends with both of you. Isn't that possible?"  
  
Both of them were silent for a minute. Then Draco said, "Look, I haven't got time to finish this discussion right now. I have to go pack."  
  
"Why do you have to pack?" Jessica asked, confused.  
  
Annoyance crept into his voice as he said, "I'm going home today."  
  
"But why?" she asked, still very confused.  
  
"Because my Mom's sick, OK?!" He turned around and started to walk off.  
  
"I'm sorry," Jessica said.   
  
Draco paused a moment. "So am I," he said softly. And while Jessica tried to figure out exactly what he had meant by that, he walked off.

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And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...  
  
**Reviewer Thanks:**  
  
**_PippinsMyHobbit:_** Well, it's flattering to know that you care enough about my story to consider emailing me. Denmark is a small country just above Germany, about the size of Massachutess. So now you know. And I hope you will be pleased with the ending when I get there.  
  
**_Trinka:_** As you can probably tell already, yes I have internet over here. Hmm, well, I will confess I'm not entirely certain where I'm going with Jessica's whole dating situation either, so I couldn't tell you. But we will see. As for Draco being in on it, well, I hope to soon have the chapters out which will explain all.  
  
I love you guys. Remember, read & review (as though you actually need reminding)


	15. OverdoseWithdrawal Syndrome

**A/N**: Six reviews within 24 hours! You guys have no idea how happy it made me to see all those review alerts in my inbox! It made me so happy, I got right on writing another chapter. So here you are. Enjoy. Oh, and I still would like to know if you guys want a sequel of some kind. And I start school for learning Danish soon, so I will not be able to post near as often, but I will keep working on the story and will post when I can.  
  
**Disclaimer:** Bah, humbug. That is all I have to say.  
  
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**Chapter Fifteen: Overdose-Withdrawal Syndrome**  
  
For one brief moment Jessica considered calling after Draco. But he had, she realized, said all he planned to say. Calling after him would achieve nothing.  
  
She sat back down, leaning against the tree as she tried to puzzle out Draco's behavior. The way he had been so annoyed with her starkly contrasted with his remorseful words. When he had said, "So am I," Jessica had gotten the feeling that he was apologizing for more than his angry snappish words. But he hadn't done anything bad, at least not something he hadn't already apologized for, and she knew from experience that Draco would never apologize more than once for anything. Still very confused, Jessica sat there a while, staring at the lake. Then, at last, she got up and headed back up to the castle.  
  
As she neared the doors to the castle she saw one of the horseless carriages pulling up to the front. Draco came down the stairs, a suitcase hovering behind him. Jessica glanced at her watch and realized that she had spent at least twenty minutes at the lake side after Draco had walked off. Well, she mused, that would have given him enough time to pack. She continued to walk towards the castle, watching as he walked towards the carriage, stowing his luggage in a compartment in the back and then climbing in. The carriage pulled away just as she reached the steps and for one brief moment she was able to peer inside. To her surprise, Draco was not the only one in the carriage. A man with blond hair and features so similar to Draco's that they could only be father and son, sat next to him, his face twisted into a permanent sneer of disdain.  
  
_What is Draco's father doing coming out here?_ She thought, thoroughly confused now. _If his wife is so ill that Draco has to go home, shouldn't he be at home with her? Draco's more than capable of getting home on his own._  
  
Jessica headed into the castle, and up to the owlry. She was going to mention it to Harry, Ron and Hermione later, but she was going to write Mr. Weasley first. Maybe he would have some sort of idea.  
  
Writing a quick note on a piece of paper in her pocket she sent it off, hoping that she would have a reply by the next day and then she headed back to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Hermione was waiting at the foot of the stairs to the girls' dorm, frowning slightly. Jessica sighed.  
  
"Where'd you go?" Hermione asked. "You know it's not safe to wander around at night with Filch and Mrs. Norris on the lookout."  
  
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Spare me, Hermione. I went for a walk outside." She quickly told Hermione about how she had seen Draco's father in the carriage. When she had finished Hermione was frowning again, but for a totally different reason.  
  
"But, shouldn't he be at home?" she said.  
  
"My thoughts exactly," Jessica said. "I think that his mother's not really sick. But I don't know why he would lie about something like that."  
  
They both decided to mention it to Harry and Ron. Then Hermione got out a book and went to a corner to read until everyone else woke up and Jessica sat down at a table to start on the huge stack of papers Snape had given her for make-up work. As she looked through them she realized he had included a set of directions for each of the potions she had missed. She would be required to make each potion and give him a bottle by Monday, plus she had an essay to write on the properties and uses of each of the ingredients in the Draught of Peace. Annoyed again she headed to the library to check out every book she could find on ingredients of potions.  
  
**x x x x x  
**  
Jessica did mention Draco's father to Harry and Ron. Their reaction was just as she had thought it would be, they immediately jumped to the conclusion that Draco and his father were up to something. As reluctant as she was to admit it, Jessica had to agree that their arguments did explain certain aspects of Draco's behavior. She just hoped that all of them were wrong, because she didn't want to think that they had been right about Draco and she had been wrong.  
  
Jessica worked on potions all day and she finally had gotten them close enough to the desired effect that she figured she would get an 'Acceptable'. Again she was too tired to work on the essay so she went straight to bed. She knew that she would be cutting it close with the essay, but she couldn't help putting it off. Besides, if she was too tired to discern the difference between the letters 'u' and 'w', she was hardly capable of writing an essay which was supposed to be at least two rolls of parchment long.  
  
Sunday she barely got a break from the work on the essay. Snape could not have chosen a worse potion to do an essay on. She could only find a little information on each of the ingredients and no matter how much she rambled she couldn't fill up two rolls of parchment. Finally she asked Hermione for help. Hermione wouldn't tell Jessica how to fix her essay, but she did recommend a few books. This in itself was a great help and by late evening she managed to finish her essay.  
  
Draco was still not back by dinner time and Jessica had not even gotten a reply from Mr. Weasley either. Jessica was tempted to write another note to him but she didn't, she knew that being annoying and impatient wouldn't get her an answer any faster and it would only annoy Mr. Weasley and she didn't want to, not after he had agreed to take in Jessica into home with four other children still living there.  
  
Monday and Tuesday passed in a blur of classes that Jessica was hardly awake for. She had not slept well on Sunday or Monday night. She was having nightmares. She was pretty sure that they were not Voldemort related because they were different from the other nightmares he had sent her. She kept waking up yelling though, so, to save Hermione and her other dorm mates from having to wake up, she soundproofed her curtains.  
  
**x x x x x  
**  
Wednesday evening at dinner, Jessica was listening to Hermione as she tried to explain Arithmancy to Ron and laughing when suddenly everyone around her went quiet. Jessica looked up to find, to her shock, Snape had paused by their table on his way out.  
  
Snape met her eyes and said, "Bring your empty bottle of potion to my office after dinner, Miss Banks, and I will give you more." Then he walked off and a moment later he was gone from the Great Hall.  
  
It took Jessica a moment to process what he meant because her bottle of potion was not empty yet. Then she realized that it had been a week since he had given the potion. Snape's words about how he would know if she didn't drink the potion came back to her and she finished off her dinner quickly. With a quiet apology to her friends she raced up to Gryffindor tower. For a moment she considered dumping the potion into one of the toilets in Moaning Mytle's bathroom, but she disregarded. They had just learned this week that many of the more advanced potions often reacted negatively with water. The last thing she wanted to do was to blow up one of the toilets. She instead downed the entire bottle of potion, fighting the intense desire to be sick that always rose up when she drank it. Then she walked down to Snape's office, still fighting the urge to be sick. Halfway there she had to stop a moment and lean against the wall. Finally, the sick feeling left her and she proceeded towards the dungeon.  
  
Snape was waiting, as she had expected. He watched her as she walked in and his dark eyes were unreadable as she handed him the empty potion bottle. He studied her for a moment more, then he handed her another bottle saying, "I expect to see you in one week with that bottle empty Miss Banks."  
  
Jessica nodded and hurried from the dungeon. She went back to the Gryffindor common room where she found Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry and Ron were playing chess, and Jessica went to sit down and watch them. Harry managed to do some damage to Ron but finally, and as expected, Harry lost.  
  
"Would you like to play a game, Jessica?" Harry asked. Jessica nodded, ran up to grab her own chess pieces and was back in a minute.  
  
"Can I be white? Since I'm probably going to lose anyway?" Jessica asked.  
  
Harry laughed. "Sure," he said. They set up their pieces and then Harry smiled at her and said, "Your move."  
  
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤  
  
Harry watched as Jessica stared at the chessboard, apparently deciding where to move. He rolled his eyes and said, "Jessica, just move a piece ok? Don't worry about it yet. The game hasn't even really started yet."  
  
She reached up to move one of the pawns in the front row and knocked over a couple of her pieces. She picked them up and began to set them back, then stared at the king and asked, "Where does this go again?"  
  
For a moment, Harry almost laughed. Then he met her eyes and realized that she was dead serious. A feeling of nervousness hit him. Something was wrong here. Jessica had played chess tons of times and you didn't just forget the placement of chess pieces after tons of games.  
  
"Jessica, are you ok?" he asked, concern in his voice.  
  
Her brow furrowed a minute and she looked like she really had to concentrate to say, "I'm tired. I don't think I wanna play chess."  
  
"That's ok," Harry said quietly. He turned towards Hermione and said, "Hey Hermione come here a second." She got up and came over.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Look at Jessica," Harry muttered. Hermione did. Jessica's face was now flushed and she looked dizzy.  
  
"She looks sick," Hermione muttered back. "Jessica? Do you want to go to the hospital wing?"  
  
"No, I'm just tired," she said, but as she said this she swayed and fell out of her chair and onto the floor.  
  
Harry jumped up and moved over to her. He touched her forehead and looked down at her flushed cheeks.  
  
"She's got a fever." Harry turned to Hermione and said, "Quick, go tell Madame Pomfrey. Ron, help me lift her." Hermione ran ahead of them to the hospital wing while Ron and Harry picked Jessica up and tried to carry her out of the room. Half the room stared as the two of them slowly made their way through the portrait hall to the hallway.  
  
They were about halfway to the Hospital Wing when Harry heard Professor Snape's voice coming from behind them, saying, "What is going on here, Potter?"  
  
"Jessica just collapsed in the common room, she's got a fever so we're taking here to the hospital wing," Harry answered, his voice short.  
  
"She collapsed?" Snape asked his voice suddenly sharp. "Put her down, both of you." The two of them did as he said and Snape conjured a stretcher and levitated Jessica onto it. He walked off down the hall, barely pausing to say over his shoulder, "Potter, follow me. You as well Weasley. I want to know exactly what happened." Harry and Ron looked at each other a moment, then followed Snape to the hospital wing.  
  
Once Jessica had been placed on a bed Madame Pomfrey examined her. Frowning, she turned to Snape, Harry, Hermione and Ron.  
  
"Well, she's not sick," Madame Pomfrey said. "At least, not with anything I've ever seen before." She looked at Snape. "Severus, has she been taking any potions? Anything she could overdose on if she wasn't careful?"  
  
Snape's eyes flashed. "It would take a great deal of stupidity on her part to overdose on the potion I had her on." He turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione and said, "Before she passed out did it seem as though she was forgetting things?"  
  
Harry nodded. "She forgot the placement of the chess pieces and she's played games with us almost every night since the beginning of the year."  
  
Snape turned to Madame Pomfrey. "I will have to speak to her. When should she be conscious again?"  
  
"In just a few minutes," she said. Snape nodded.  
  
"Potter, Weasley, Granger, out, all of you." Ron made a noise like he was going to protest and Snape said, "Now, or all of you will have detention for a month." Harry turned to go, he already had two weeks worth of detention left, he didn't need any more. Ron and Hermione followed suit. As they left, Harry heard Snape saying, "Madame Pomfrey, I need you to leave. She will appeal to you for help if she sees you and I have to make sure I know what she has overdosed on, if that is indeed what happened."  
  
_How could she overdose on a potion when she know better?_ Harry wondered as the doors to the hospital wing closed behind them.  
  
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤  
  
Jessica returned to consciousness slowly. She felt awful, like she had felt that one time when she had caught the flu in third grade.  
  
"Wake up, Banks," a voice ordered. Jessica moaned, trying to return to unconsciousness to escape from that voice.  
  
"Wake up!" the person ordered again, and she felt them slap her face. It **hurt** and she opened her eyes, gasping.  
  
Snape stood bent over her, his dark eyes furious. "You stupid girl," he hissed. "You forgot take the potion, so you took it all tonight didn't you? Didn't you?"  
  
Closing her eyes to escape from his piercing gaze she shook her head furiously.  
  
**"Open your eyes!"** Jessica did so, cringing at the harsh anger in his voice.  
  
"Do not lie to me," Snape said.  
  
"I'm not," she said, feeling miserable. One way or another he was going to be furious but she wasn't going to tell him. "I think I'm sick."  
  
"You have overdose-withdrawal symptoms. Which potion did take, if not the one I gave you?"  
  
"Nothing," Jessica said, feeling tears leaking out of her eyes. She tried to stop but she couldn't.  
  
"Stupid girl," he said again. "You can die if you do not tell me what you have taken! **Now tell me!**"  
  
She shook her head again, still crying. She stared up at nothing in particular, no longer reacting to his harsh expression. Snape slapped her again she flinched and her eyes went wide, focusing on Snape, no longer crying. "You slapped me," she said, astonished, and somewhat afraid.  
  
"And you were slipping into shock. One last chance. Tell me what potion you have taken."  
  
"I didn't, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't..." She repeated these words over and over again.  
  
**"Stop!"** Snape ordered. Afraid he might slap her again, she stopped, staring at him. He pulled a needle out of his robes, and moved it towards her arm. She drew back and he grabbed her arm, pulling it forward. Carefully inserting the needle into her arm, he withdrew a small amount of blood. He then pulled the needle out. "I will test this," he said. "And if I find you have lied to me, you will be very sorry." He turned and walked from the hospital wing.  
  
Jessica turned and cried into her pillow. He would find out what she had done, and when he did he would be even more furious than he was now.  
  
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**Overdose-Withdrawal Syndrome: **Characterized by a vast cornecopia of physical and mental complaints, this 'illness' takes place when a person who is taking a potion fails to take it for any period of time more than three days and then attempts to remedy this by taking all the missed doses at once. Most common complaints are brief periods of memory loss, fever, upset stomach and unconsciousness, though the 'illness' may reveal itself by completely different symptoms. Once discovered and the potion revealed treatment must be undertaken. Failure to treat can result in death.

_Potions and Their Effects- Page 149_  
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**  
**Reviewer Thanks:  
**  
**_Diet Cigarette:_** Right in one! I know it's technically not possible, but Voldemort was the one who stated it, and he has been know to make mistakes. I have a very long and complicated explanation for it but rather unfortunately I cannot explain it right now as it would give away part of the story. But I'm glad you like in spite of its obvious impossibility.  
  
**_This Time Imperfect:_** Glad you like it! Yeah, I think so too, and he would do well with a muggle. I'm in Denmark for a year on a student exchange. It's a lot of fun. And I'm sixteen. I'll try not to leave you hanging, but info on my posting rate is in my profile.  
  
**_pinkpenguin28:_** I'm glad you like. I know it's technically impossible but I sort of have figured out how to get around it.  
  
**_Trinka:_** He-he. I'm glad you like. It is indeed a tough choice and I think she's going to need a while to decide anyway. Poor Jessica... she has to see the good in everyone... how cursed she is.  
  
You guys are so awesome! Remember to review! And if reviewing is impossible because of your computer (like it is with the computer I have back in the US) then email me your review.


	16. Decency

**A/N: **Well, here it is, the sixteenth chapter. Not that the number 16 has any significance to it. I have this weekend and then on Monday I am starting Language school for Danish. So, quiet obvious, the update rate will be slower.

And I know I've been updating almost too fast, but no one has yet answered my question. **How would you guys feel about a sequel?** Really, I want to know!

**Disclaimer: **Blah blah blah, blah blah blahblah. BLAH!

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**Chapter 16: Decency**

Jessica lay in bed crying for nearly twenty minutes before Professor Snape returned. In fact, she was still sobbing when she heard him enter the hospital wing. She buried her head further in her pillow, trying desperately to escape from what she knew was coming.

"Look at me, Banks." Snape's voice scared her, for instead of the harsh anger she had seen earlier, it now held a dangerously calm quality. It was too calm for the circumstances and Jessica knew she was in trouble because anything Snape did now would be done intentionally, and with cold deliberation. Jessica pulled her face out of the pillow and slowly looked up at his face. As she had expected, the look in his eyes contrasted with the calmness of his voice. She cringed away from him, knowing that he was about to show her just how far he had been pushed.

"You lied to me," he said, his voice still deadly calm. Slowly, carefully, she nodded, finally admitting to it, knowing that denying it at this point would only make things worse, and waited for the explosion.

"The only potion which will help will cause you to feel worse before you feel better, but due to your circumstances, there is no choice." He pulled a bottle out of his robes and handed it to her. She took it carefully, and examined it. It was a small green bottle and through its translucent sides, she could see that there was just enough potion in it for two swallows.

"Drink it," Snape ordered, his calm demeanor evaporating as he hissed the words at her. "Drink it or I will **make** you drink it and I can assure if I have to make you drink it, you will not enjoy the experience."

Her hands shaking, she pulled the stopper out of the bottle and raised it to her lips. She hesitated momentarily but Snape's eyes flashed and she swallowed. As she did this, she noticed Snape conjuring a bucket out of the corner of her eye. Moments later she knew why he had conjured it as she sat up, bent over the bucket and was violently sick. Even after she had emptied her stomach her body kept trying to force something up and in her misery a cry for help wrenched itself from her throat.

"No one can help you with this, you stupid girl; it is a result of your own actions." The cold anger in his voice stung, and Jessica felt tears forming in her eyes. "This is **your** fault, Banks. If you hadn't been so stupid and overdosed yourself th-"

"That is enough, Severus," came Dumbledore's voice from behind Snape. Jessica collapsed to the bed sobbing, the impulse to be sick finally gone.

"You agreed to let me handle this situation," Snape said.

"That was before I knew that you were going to be overly harsh. I am disappointed in your behavior."

Jessica heard Snape set the bucket down and heard him leave the hospital wing but even then she could not stop crying. Then, suddenly, someone was wiping away her tears. She realized it was Dumbledore and gradually her sobs quieted.

Finally after a period of silence, Dumbledore said, "Why did you take so much at once Jessica?"

"He was going to send me to the hospital wing if I forgot to take it. I didn't want to go to the hospital wing."

"And lying about it has landed you here anyway," Dumbledore said, disappointment evident on his features.

"I'm sorry," she said, tears forming again.

"I am not the one you should be apologizing to," he said, his voice stern.

"I'm not apologizing to Snape!" she yelped.

"Professor Snape, Jessica."

"Professor or not, I'm not apologizing! He hurt me!"

"He did what was necessary to ensure your safety."

"He enjoyed seeing how miserable I was!"

"I can assure you he did not."

"He said it was all my fault; he said I was stupid!"

"You have betrayed his trust and made him angry with you. His anger is not entirely unfounded either, Jessica."

"Then you think I'm stupid too?" she demanded.

"On the contrary," Dumbledore said. "I think you are an intelligent young lady. But what you did today was both irrational and irresponsible."

"He hates me, he wants me dead," Jessica said.

"If that were indeed the case I doubt he would have searched his entire stock of potions to find one which could save you."

That shut Jessica up for a minute. "He only did it so you wouldn't be suspicious of him, because he knew you would find out if I died because of him."

"That is enough," Dumbledore said, and Jessica flinched because his voice held a similar type of rebuke to what it had held when he had spoken to Snape. In slightly gentler tone of voice he continued, "You need sleep. Madame Pomfrey will be back in a few moments." And he stood up and left the hospital wing.

**x x x x x**

Nightmares plagued her sleep and several times that night she awoke gasping for air and feeling like she had to be sick. After waking up the first time she sipped at some water and when it stayed down, she finished off the entire glass. That was a mistake, she woke up not long after that and this time she actually was sick. Nothing stayed down and finally she gave up, feeling completely miserable and helpless. In addition to the upset stomach she was hot and feverish.

She woke the next morning to find Madame Pomfrey by her bed with some broth. Jessica tried a few sips but after being sick only moments afterward she gave up on it and refused to have any more. Madame Pomfrey finally gave up and left, and Jessica lapsed back into sleep.

**x x x x x**

_"Goodbye, Harry," Voldemort said, softly, and then, in contrast, he shouted, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" A flash of green light issued from the tip of Voldemort's wand and struck Harry right in the middle of the chest. Harry crumpled to the ground, his expression dead and gone. Jessica screamed in agony and the men laughed at her, and both sounds filled the air._

_Voldemort stared down at Harry, and another cruel smile played at his lips. Jessica stared down at Harry as well, tears falling from her eyes down onto his cheeks, where they glistened like diamonds. "I love you," she whispered, hardly aware that she had spoken the words aloud. But she had indeed spoken them, for Voldemort turned to her now, his eyes expectant._

_"How touching," he said, his voice filled with cold amusement. "She loved him." A few of Voldemort's followers laughed, but not too loudly. The air was tense, expectant, waiting._

_Voldemort's cold eyes fixed onto hers and he smiled. "Who am I to separate lovers?" He raised his wand, and said, "Since you love him, join him. Avada Kedavra!" Green light flashed from his wand and reached up to engulf her..._

Jessica sat up gasping. She might have taken to crying again, but then she noticed who was standing next to her bed and the notion of crying completely left her. Snape stood next to her bed. Closing her eyes she rolled over, turning her back to him.

"Look at me Miss Banks," he ordered, but this time there was no anger in it, only a note of annoyance.

Jessica ignored him, pretending she had not heard him. She wasn't going to do anything he wanted.

"No matter how much you believe it, imagining I am not here will not make it true. Look at me."

"Go away," she muttered sullenly. "I hate you."

Snape sighed. "While I cannot say I did not expect such a reaction, I did expect a bit more gratitude on your part."

"Gratitude?!" she said, sitting up and looking at him, outraged. There was a strange sort of look in his eyes but she ignored it as she said, "You make me feel like I'm dying and you want gratitude?! Oh, that's rich!"

"I also saved your life," Snape said, irritably.

"Nobody asked you to!" she snapped. "I didn't need your stupid help!"

"Refusing to help you would have been the same as intentionally poisoning you. No matter what you may think, I would not allow such a thing to occur."

"You might as well have poisoned me!" She shouted. "Now I can't eat, I'm probably going to starve and I can't even get a decent night's sleep because of the stupid nightmares brought on by **your** bloody potion!"

"It was necessary to purge the Occluding Potion from your body. And you are having nightmares?"

"Yes," Jessica said, sullen again. He wouldn't rise to the bait, wouldn't get angry with her, no matter what she did.

And to her complete and total shock, a look of relief crossed Snape's face. That strange look in his eyes, could that have been concern? Snape, concerned about her? How strange.

"I can give you another potion now then, if you are having nightmares," he said.

"What use would that be? I'd just be sick, nothing stays down because of your stupid potion."

"You fail to understand. Nightmares are a sign that the potion has cleaned out your system. You no longer have a fever do you?"

Jessica paused a moment and realized with shock that he was right. Her fever was gone. "No, the fever is gone," she said.

Snape nodded. "It will be safe to give you the other potion then. You'll still feel sick from time to time and there may be a few more brief fevers, but you are out of danger."

"When can I leave then?" Jessica asked, her rudeness coming back. The last time she had been nice he had been mean to her, she wasn't about to let him do that again.

"When I say you can," Snape said, his voice curiously flat as he said this.

"So until I've missed enough classes to make it impossible to catch up, is that it?" She snapped.

"Until you show me that you are capable of behaving responsibly."

"Will I at least be allowed visitors?" she asked.

Snape's dark eyes met hers and to her disbelief he said, "Yes. Tomorrow, when I can be certain you are not in any danger of relapsing." He turned and began to walk from the hospital wing.

"Thank you," she said, knowing that she was contradicting herself.

"Denying them the right to see you would only cause Mr. Potter and your other friends to sneak in here anyway," he said loftily. "And I assumed you would prefer it if I did not have to take away any more house points from Gryffindor." He walked out, not looking back at her.

Had Snape just done something decent? Not just semi-decent, but decent? And moreover, she thought she had detected a hint of amusement in his voice. Had he been making a joke? The notion of Snape joking was so ridiculous that she had to grin.

The grin faded though, when she remembered that Snape had promised punishment for her stupidity in overdosing. While she herself thought that the miserable feeling in itself was punishment enough, she knew he would have to do something official. Probably detention. Not relishing the idea of having detention with Snape, she tried to think about something else.

An even more dismal thought occurred to her. What would Harry, Ron and Hermione think of her when they found out what had happened? She could not remember how she had gotten to the hospital wing and she realized with a sinking sensation that they had probably been the ones to drag her up to the hospital wing, which meant that they probably already knew.

Sighing, Jessica pushed that out of her mind too, but that left her with only the memories of the dream for company and she did not want to think about that either. In a vain hope of getting some restful sleep she laid back down and closed her eyes. When Madame Pomfrey came to check on her a few minutes later she was fast asleep.

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**Reviewer Thanks**:

**_Trinka:_** Well, did I do a good job of portraying Snape? I feel like he was a bit out of character. Perhaps I should have made him a bit more sarcastic about the whole thing. And yes, Snape was an arse about the homework, but isn't that exactly the kind of thing he would do?

Read and review. If I'm quick enough, I may have another chapter out by tomorrow. I love you guys, in a non-yucky sort of way.


	17. The Forbidden Forest

**A/N:** Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, I've started Danish language school and I haven't had alot of time to write. Anyways, updating will probably be slow for a while and it will probably stay like that until I get a break from school, so, get used to not so frequent updates people. Ok?

Disclaimer: This disclaimer, which is disclaiming property rights, is not in bold. The author of this story disclaims any responsibility for the lack of boldness in the disclaimer.

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**Chapter 17: The Forbidden Forest**

The next day, after Snape had double-checked to make sure she was not going to relapse, he let Harry, Ron and Hermione in. Jessica smiled nervously at them as they came in. What would they think of her when they found out what she had done? They approached her bed rather cautiously, and from the expressions on their faces she knew they had heard what she had done. She looked down when they reached her bedside, almost afraid of what she might see in their eyes if she looked.

"Jessica," Hermione said, then stopped. "I wish I could have done something to stop you." Ron nodded rather solemnly. Harry didn't move and Jessica knew he was waiting for her to look up. So she did. And she felt relief wash over her as she realized that her friends were still her friends.

"You couldn't have done anything," Jessica said. "I made a stupid decision because I was trying to avoid the hospital wing. And all it did was land me in the exact place I was trying to avoid. It was a stupid thing for me to do."

She watched them nod slowly and sighed when smiles finally broke out on their faces. She smiled back, feeling strangely better after having admitted her own stupidity.

"Miss Banks," Snape's voice came. He was standing behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She hadn't even noticed him approaching. Had he heard her? "You will be released from the hospital wing as soon as Madame Pomfrey determines you are well enough. You will have detention every night for two weeks, starting the first night you are no longer in the hospital wing. Eight fifteen, the potions classroom. Potter, your detentions will now take place with Filch."

"Yes sir," both Jessica and Harry muttered.

Snape gestured to a bottle on the nightstand by her bed and said, "I expect that to be gone by the time I return." With that he turned and strode out of the hospital wing, his robes billowing in what Harry, Ron, Hermione and herself had deemed "a Snape-like fashion".

"You're actually going to drink that?" Ron demanded when she reached for the bottle.

"He's had plenty of opportunities to poison me Ron, and he hasn't done it once." She pulled the

stopper out of the potion bottle and downed its contents, faintly surprised when it tasted fairly reminiscent of lemonade. She wondered what had caused Snape's decision to release her as soon as she was well enough to leave. What was it he had said? "When you are capable of showing me that you can behave responsibly." She smiled when she realized that she had done just that by admitting her stupidity.

"McGonagall gave me the work for today, she said I could go ahead and give it to you," Hemione said as she reached into her back for the papers. Jessica shook her head.

"Save it for me, I'm not in good enough shape to play a decent game of Exploding Snap, much less do homework." Harry smiled slightly at her words. Jessica felt her heart soaring at that. It was going to be hard not to date him, she realized. He was so easy to fall in love with. Wait, fall in love with? _I'm not going to think about that right now,_ Jessica thought as she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

The four of them talked for about fifteen minutes, then Madame Pomfrey decided that Jessica wasn't resting and she kicked the three of them out. She made Jessica eat something, not that Jessica minded a whole lot; it was a relief to finally have food stay down.

Once she was by herself again she turned her thoughts to the thought that had occurred to her. Was she really falling in love with Harry? Jessica had avoided using that phrase all her life; she was sure she'd declare her love for someone and then decide that she wasn't really in love a few weeks later. She wanted to be sure she was in love, before she even considered thinking it to herself.

_Am I really in love with him?_ Jessica thought to herself curiously. Her thoughts drifted to the nightmare she'd had just yesterday. While she was fairly sure it had been sent to her by Voldemort, she was also fairly sure that she could influence the dreams. Because when she had said, "I love you" in the dream, she was pretty sure it had not come from Voldemort. She was pretty sure it had been completely her own.

_But if Voldemort sends the dreams and I influenced that one, that means he now knows that I love Harry,_ Jessica thought, stricken at that thought.

_But I can't love Harry. I just can't._

_Why not? _That small voice in the back of her had was back. _Why can't you love him?_

_Because. Because I promised that I wouldn't. I promised I'd keep him safe._

_Love never follows what decisions you've already made, you know that._

_But I can't!_

_Face it, you're in denial._

_**I am not!** I'm not denying anything! I just can't afford to love Harry right now!_

_Open your eyes, you're already in love with him. It doesn't matter if you can afford it._

_Shut up. _

_Denial._

_Shut up! Just **shut up!**_

The voice didn't respond to that one. Now thoroughly disconcerted, she tried to fall asleep. By the time Madame Pomfrey returned, she had managed it.

**x x x x x**

Two more bouts of stomach sickness, a fever and several headaches later, Jessica was finally

allowed out of the hospital wing. While she was glad to finally be free of Madame Pomfrey's clutches, this freedom also meant that she would now have detention with Snape, something she sincerely doubted she would be enjoying.

When eight o'clock rolled around that evening Jessica put away the homework and, as slowly as possible, made her way down to the dungeons.

As expected, Snape was waiting for her. When she stepped into the room the first thing Snape did was point to a glass on the corner of his desk and order, "Drink that."

Stepping up to his desk, she picked up the cup and looked down into the cup, grimacing when she realized that it was the very same potion she had overdosed on. She looked up at Snape, astonished that he would have her drink it.

He met her eyes and raised an eyebrow, his voice quite sarcastic as he asked, "Is there something you wished to ask me Miss Banks?"

"You want me to continue taking the potion? Even after what happened?"

Snape stared at her a moment, then said, "Yes, Miss Banks. Unless you enjoy having nightmares?"

"No," she snapped.

"Then you will come down here every night to drink the potion, until I feel you are responsible enough to be trusted not to overdose again."

Jessica picked up the glass and downed its contents as quickly as she could, feeling rather bitter about it. The whole situation was her fault, but that didn't mean she was enjoying the fact that she wasn't trusted. Setting the glass down on his desk, she turned to look at him, wondering what her detention would be.

Snape was standing at the other end of the room with two bags which were about a half the size of her bookbag. He held on of these out to her and said, "Take this."

She did, examined it a moment and then asked, "What's it for?"

"We will be going into the Forbidden Forest," he said. "There is a particular potion ingredient which can only be found in a few places in the country. The Forbidden Forest is one of those places, and since I do not trust Hagrid not bungle up the gathering of it, we will be collecting it." He strode out of the potions classroom and Jessica followed him.

She'd discovered that she had a grudging sort of respect for Snape. He had, after all saved her life and even if it was his responsibility as a teacher, he could have just as easily left it up to Dumbledore or one of the other teachers. But he hadn't, he'd made sure she wouldn't relapse before letting Madame Pomfrey take over. So despite the fact that he could be a real arse at times, Jessica respected him.

It was dark as they strode across the grounds, which made the forest seem even darker and more forbidding than usual. Despite herself, Jessica shivered. She'd never been in the Dark Forest herself, but she'd heard enough stories from Harry, Ron and Hermione to make her want to avoid that place forever.

Snape looked back to look at her as they neared the edge of the forest. "Get your wand out and keep it out!" he snapped. He waited until she had done this and then the two of them entered the forest.

Her first impression was of being led into a place blindfolded. The blackness of nighttime was complete under the trees and Jessica found she couldn't see her own hand. A strange, musty sort of smell lingered in the air, and a tense kind of silence surrounded her. Because of this silence she could hear Snape's indistinct mutter of "Lumos". She followed his example and when her wand tip lit up she had to look away a moment; in the darkness it was almost too bright to look at.

Snape did not speak, only set off into the forest and Jessica followed behind him, trying to move as silently as he did. She had a feeling that they were being watched, a sort of tingling at the back of her neck. While she knew it was probably no more than a few scared animals, her mind kept dredging up images of Voldemort and men in white masks.

_Stop it!_ She scolded herself. _Dumbledore would know if Voldemort were here._

_Would he?_ The little voice asked. _He didn't seem to know when Voldemort was possessing Quirrell in Harry's first year. Face it, Dumbledore is not as all knowing as he seems._

_I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening,_ Jessica thouhgt to herself over and over again in an annoying, sing-song sort of way as she tried to drown out that little voice. She was so busy with this that she nearly ran into Snape when he stopped rather abruptly. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice, because he didn't comment. He instead pointed to something ahead of them.

They stood at the edge of a clearing. Jessica scanned it quickly but aside from plants it seemed entirely empty. It was a fairly large clearing, filled with small green plants that had soft yellow flowers.

"The flowers?" she asked Snape quietly. He nodded and stepped out into the clearing.

"You will sever the flowers from the plant using the _diffindo_ spell. He demonstrated it for her, then pick up the flowers from the ground and placed them in his own bag. "There is another meadow quite close by, and I will be there. When you are finished send up green sparks. If there is an emergency, send up red sparks." Without even bothering to see if she had taken all of this in, he turned and walked off into the forest.

For a moment Jessica just stood there, and stared after him. Then she shook herself and thought, _Come on Jessica, the sooner you get this done, the sooner you can get out of here._ She pointed her wand at one of the plants and said, "_Diffindo_," copying the slight twirl she had seen Snape do. The flowers fell from the plant and she picked them up and put them in her bag. _Nothing to it,_ she thought, absurdly pleased with herself.

She wasn't sure just how long it took to fill up her bag, but she knew it must have taken her awhile, because by the time she was done she could have fallen asleep right then and there. Yawning, she shot up the green sparks and waited for Snape to arrive. He did, only moments later.

"Are you finished?" he asked. Jessica nearly smirked, she had never thought that she would catch him asking a question with such an obvious answer. Instead of smirking, however, she merely nodded and followed Snape as he set off again, following the path they had taken to get out of the forest.

They were about halfway out of the forest when a high, shrill scream echoed through the forest. Both Jessica and Snape froze, listening carefully. The scream rang out again and Jessica began to move towards it the only thought in her mind that she had to help. Snape's hand grabbed the back of her robes and dragged her back.

"Don't," he ordered.

"But it sounds like Na-" she broke off, realizing that what she was about to say was completely impossible.

"Regardless of who it sounds like, I can assure you that following that sound will most certainly lead to your death." She realized that Snape's voice had become almost strained. His face had gone incredibly, so pale that his regular complexion would have seemed normal in comparison. She wondered to herself what he heard. Whatever it was, it seemed to be making him agitated.

"What is it?" she asked softly, knowing he would hear her.

"That can be discussed when we are safely back at the castle," Snape said, as the scream rang out again, closer this time. He started off again, not quite running, but not quite walking either. Jessica followed just as quickly. Once she made the mistake of looking back. She thought she saw a shape far back in the trees, and she moved faster, but not really looking where she was going. She tripped and fell on her face. Panic gripped her and she frantically tried to push herself up, and instead found Snape hauling her to her feet. She didn't look back once after that.

Only a few minutes later they emerged from the forest and were greeted by a normal, moonlit night. But Snape's pace didn't slow, not, even when they had reached the steps to the castle.

Inside the Great Hall, Snape turned and practically tore the bag from Jessica's fingers. "Get to your Common Room before Filch catches you and gives you more detention for being out after hours. Same time again tomorrow."

"And will we be doing the same thing, sir?"

"No," Snape said as he turned and began to walk towards the dungeon. "We will most definitely not be." And he disappeared down the stairs to the dungeons. Jessica headed up to the Common Room.

As she climbed into bed later she thought about the scream she had heard. Though she knew without a shadow of doubt that it was impossible, she had thought the scream had sounded like Nancy. Jessica made up her mind to ask Hermione about it tomorrow. Hermione would know. Hermione knew everything. And with this thought floating around in her head, she drifted off.

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**Reviewer Thanks:**

**_madderthanyou:_ **Well, I'm flattered that you think so. I hope you keep reading.

**_This Time Imperfect:_** Well, you can call it all you want love, but **I** call the shots. But did I not do a good job of throwing in some sort of Harry/Jessica? I think I did. And Snape is awesome, though I don't know about him dying to save Harry. But that's me. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**_Bob:_** Good! Then I think I want you to keep reading it!

**_Trinka:_** Last, but certainly not least. Glad you like and again, I hope Snape is stay in character. He's annoying me. And Harry too, which is why we don't see too much Harry in this chappie. Anyways hope you liked.

Read and review! (Do I even need to say this anymore?)


	18. On Potions and Love

**A/N: **I'm baacckk! I beg your forgiveness, but I got hit by writers block and well... Combine that with learning a new language and the ability to write goes down the tubes for a while. I will do my very best to have more out soon, but I can promise nothing. Reviewer thanks are at the end! I'm sosososososososososososososo SORRY!

**Disclaimer: **The author, having run out of clever things to say, will now be boring and state the obvious. I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!

Now, on to the next chapter...

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**Chapter Eighteen: On Potions and Love**

Jessica woke late the next morning, feeling thoroughly confused. Her sleep had been filled with strange dreams in which Hermione knew everything, and was going around informing everyone of what time their death would be. She had also been reciting the formulas for math equations, which Jessica had learned the previous year in Muggle school. Except Hermione kept insisting that these equations werenot for math but how you figured out what exact time and place your death would be. Needless to say, Jessica was not feeling terribly awake as she headed down to the Great Hall.

Down in the Great Hall, Jessica gave a muttered retelling of the previous nights events, making sure she included Snape's strange reaction to the screams.

"Any ideas?" she asked Hermione when she had finished with her tale.

Hermione sat looking thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Well, I'll have to double-check of course, but it sounds to me like there's a seripharum in the Dark Forest." She looked at Jessica, Harry and Ron, and, seeing the completely blank looks on their faces she added, "The seripharum, a very distant cousin to the harpy, is a now nearly extinct creature. The seripharum is not designed for stealth and therefore it has much difficult in catching anything. This creature lures prey by screaming. To lesser animals these screams sound like the cries of offspring. To humans, both Muggle and wizard, the screams sound like those of someone the listener once held dear. Many of the Muggles who 'mysteriously' disappeared during the Middle Ages were in fact victims of the seripharum."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Hermione, just needed an explanation, not a quote from a textbook."

Hermione too rolled her eyes then said to Jessica, "I'm willing to bet that the shape you saw in the trees was the seripharum. I'll bet Snape knew what it was, which is why he was so quick to get out of the forest. And it's a good thing too. If I remember correctly, the seripharum can take several days to devour its prey."

" 'Mione," Harry said slowly, his face slightly green, "are you telling us that the seripharum eats people?"

"Weren't you listening?" Hermione asked. "Yes, that is what I'm saying. They're perpetually hungry or something. Some kind of survival instinct I believe."

"That's disgusting!" Ron exclaimed as he took another bite of bacon. "Can we please not discuss this seri-what's-it-called until _after_ breakfast?"

"Sure, Ron," Jessica said softly, shaking her head slightly. She'd nearly been the victim of some horrible dark creature that ate people… Jessica pushed away her plate, no longer hungry. She glanced up at the High Table. Professor Snape didn't look particularly hungry either. She wondered who he had heard screaming in the forest… At least now she knew why he had been so quick to dismiss her. That scream must have dragged up memories he'd been keeping hidden from himself for a while.

Classes passes slowly and Jessica couldn't stop herself from glancing at the clock every five minutes. Because the O.W.L.'s were 'rapidly' approaching they were spending lots of time reviewing in each class. If there was one thing she hated it was reviewing. She always got so bored during reviewing and then the teachers got mad at her for not paying attention. Hey, it wasn't her fault that they always had to be so boring about the whole thing that she lost interest within 30 seconds. Jessica couldn't stop herself from making mild distractions such as spinning a knut on top of her book, tapping out the rhythms to random songs on the desk and making sound effects for everything the teacher did. She was, as she whispered to Harry, Ron and Hermione during Charms, "slowly going insane". Because of this, she almost welcomed potions, for she knew that Snape would never allow them to review in his class. If they didn't know the information well, wasn't that just too bad, they'd have to take Remedial Potions if they wanted any credit for the class. She knew that there would probably be a day in the future where she wished Snape would allow them to review but right now if anyone so much as started to say the word, Jessica thought she might scream.

She immediately changed her mind, however, when she stepped into the potions classroom and found, to her horror, that the Slytherins had been split up, so that now a Slytherin sat at ever desk.

_Why did he have to find out about seating charts?_ she thought dismally as she stepped further into the classroom and peered at the blackboard, where the seating chart had been drawn. Her heart sank even further as she noticed that she was seated next to the one and only Pansy Parkinson.

Harry and Ron, who were right behind her and when she glanced back at them, their jaws were hanging open in disbelief. She might have laughed, if the situation hadn't affected her as well, because they looked stupid.

"Potter! Weasley!" Snape's voice rang out, annoyance in it. "Stop doing impressions of frogs and take your seats!" Harry and Ron closed their mouths and quickly studied the diagram on the blackboard. Unfortunately, they didn't study it as quickly as Snape apparently wanted. He snapped out, "Ten points from Gryffindor! Now move!"

Jessica walked over to the table in the back left corner of the room, noticing that Snape had put Ron, Harry, Hermione and herself in the four corners of the room, so that it was utterly impossible for them to talk to one another. She dropped her bookbag down onto the table with a loud thump and sat down, ignored Pansy and glared up at the front of the classroom at Snape thinking, _Jerk._

"You should have noticed the new seating arrangements," Snape said, his lip curling derisively as he scanned over the desks. "In an attempt to assure myself that _some_ of you are not complete dunderheads, and at the headmaster's 'insistance', I am giving you a partnered project which will also serve as an evaluation if you are ready for the O.W.L.'s yet." Jessica bit back a groan. Even Snape was mentioning the O.W.L.'s now she was **really** going to go insane. Evidently Snape heard her, for he glared at her before continuing. "You will be expected to create a potion. The headmaster-" Jessica almost smirked as she noticed the annoyance and derision in the word headmaster. "-has selected your partners for you, and he has informed me that no changes will be considered. He has also informed me that there will be no independent grading on this project, cooperation will be necessary." Jessica noted with irony how he sneered when he said the word cooperation. "You will have exactly one month to complete the project. That will be on April 3rd, for those of you too stupid to do the math." His cold eyes swept across the classroom. "You will be expected to brew a bottle of your potion, as well as provide a step by step recipe of how to make it. Your recipe may be based off of an existing one, but it must be unique in the end. You will also be expected to demonstrate how your potion works. As of now you have the rest of the class to decide what your potion will be. Do not waste time on frivolous conversation. Once you have decided I will take down what potion you will be making I will take it down. Once I have taken down your potion you will not be allowed to change it. Choose wisely. Begin."

Jessica turned to Pansy, not bothering to hide the dislike on her face. Jessica noticed her own feelings were mirrored rather strongly in Pansy's expression. They glared at each other for a minute before Jessica spoke.

"So, Parkinson, what should we do?" she asked.

"Why don't you tell me, if you think you're so great?" Pansy sniffed.

"Fine then. How about a healing potion?"

Pansy laughed derisively. "How boring can you get?"

"Well, have **you** got a better idea?"

Her eyes glimmered eagerly as she said, "A Lust potion."

"No way! One, that's even more common than a healing potion, two, I am **not** going to stand up in front of the class to demonstrate!" _Honestly,_ Jessica thought, _can't the girl at least be original if she's going to just dismiss my ideas like that? _Pansy merely smirked. No doubt she was imagining the humiliation she could cause the whole of Gryffindor house if she made such a potion.

"What about a truth potion?" Jessica suggested again, more out of a need to say something rather than just sit there watching Pansy's annoying smirk.

"In case you haven't noticed, we've already got Verituserum." Pansy's voice was derisive. "Poison detection maybe?"

Jessica, who had been about to dismiss Pansy's suggestion out of pure spite, paused. That was actually a rather interesting idea. Already her mind began racing thinking of ways that they could do this. They would need to figure out how to get the potion to cause some kind of reaction… A color change maybe…

"Well?" Pansy demanded.

"All right," she said, surprising both herself and Pansy. "Just a general poison detection or did you have something specific in mind?"

"Just general," Pansy said, her voice surprisingly lacking in venom. Jessica briefly realized that, being in Slytherin as she was, Pansy probably **needed** something like a poison detection potion. She felt a momentary flash of pity for Pansy. But that faded quickly as Pansy's voice returned to its normal, annoying, derisive tone and she said, "How do we start then, miss smarty-pants?"

Jessica glared at Pansy a moment, then said, "Look, Snape may be running the class but we all know that Snape is not really the one who's in charge with this project." Slowly, reluctantly, and glaring, Pansy nodded. "So that means that if we want to pass, we both have to do the work here, and that means getting along. Truce?" Jessica stuck out her hand.

Pansy glanced around to ensure that no one else was watching and then briefly shook Jessica's hand. She nodded.

Jessica let out a sigh of relief. Well, that was one problem solved, though, she was certain there would be more, the worst was, hopefully out of the way.

In a few minutes they had their textbooks open and were checking through the potions for anything remotely similar to their idea. While there was nothing for poison detection, there were things for other detection, and Jessica was trying to figure out what they had in common, if anything, when Snape's shadow fell over their desk. Jessica looked up a moment, as Snape's cold eyes surveyed what little work they had done so far.

"And what will you be attempting?" he finally asked his voice filled with it's standard measure of coldness.

"Poison detection sir," Pansy answered. After scanning over their work a moment more, Snape scribbled it down on his parchment and moved on.

They were not allowed out of the classroom, so the little amount of work done was all they could do. Jessica was tempted to suggest a trip to the library after supper, but then decided against it. She would research on her own, and ask Pansy to do the same. They could compare notes for the next class. Jessica didn't want to push the truce too far, plus, she didn't want to know about whatever resources Pansy might have.

At the end of the class she sauntered out, somehow feeling calm. Even if it **was** a hard project, they **did** have a whole month to do it. And it would actually be a bit fun. The whole thing reminded Jessica of the science projects she had done when she had gone to Muggle school.

But her friends had a different view on it. Hermione had been paired with Millcent Bulstrode, Harry had been paired with Crabbe and Ron had been paired with Draco, who still hadn't returned. So Jessica should have expected Ron's reaction to her statement that that this project could actually be fun.

"Are you nutters!" Ron demanded as they headed up to the Gryffindor common room. "Fun? You do realize that Snape is cutting Malfoy slack for not being here, and I have to do this all by myself!"

Jessica winced at the loudness of his voice, then said, "I meant fun for me."

Ron just threw her a look that said, "duh" and rolled his eyes, somehow, still managing to look terribly annoyed.

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Jessica muttered under her breath. Hermione heard her and Jessica could tell that she was fighting the urge to laugh.

They reached the Common Room in relative silence and Jessica sighed. She seemed to say a lot of things to annoy Ron these days… If he had been a girl she would have suspected he was PMSing… She snickered to herself at that thought. Harry shot her a funny look, then shook his head saying, "I probably don't even want to know." They pulled out homework and sat down together. Ron and Hermione moved off to the corner to study, as they had gotten back into the habit of doing. Jessica glanced after them and smiled slightly to herself.

"What is it?" Harry asked as he looked at her smiling face.

"They make a good couple don't they?" She asked, doing her best to keep sadness out of her voice. It seemed to her that a boyfriend, a steady boyfriend, was out of the question now.

"Yeah, when they don't fight, they do make a pretty good couple." Harry was not looking at Ron and Hermione though; he was looking at her. She could feel his eyes on her, as though he were attempting to read her thoughts. She had to struggle to keep the smile on her face now. It was hard to smile and to know that she could not date Harry any more.

"Jessica?" Harry asked finally. Jessica, no longer having a proper excuse not to, looked at him, and met his eyes. Immediately she felt panic rushing up. He was going to ask her out again or he was going to ask her **something** regarding dating. But he didn't. Instead, the words which came out of his mouth were, "Do you wanna go for a walk or something? I can't do homework right now."

"Ok." Jessica let out a mental sigh of relief and stood, leaving her homework spread out on the table with Harry's. Hopefully, the first years would take a hint and deduce that someone was sitting there.

As they headed out of the Common Room he asked, "Where do you wanna walk to?"

"Well, it's a bit cold to head outside," she answered. "How about we just wander the third floor corridors for a while?"

"Fine with me," he answered.

They didn't speak much. They didn't seem to speak very much at all these days. Not that their conversations had been all that interesting when they **had** been having them, but still…

Jessica shot a sideways glance at Harry. He seemed to be distracted by something, lost in thought, because he saw the hallway without really seeing it. As she studied him, she was strongly reminded of the whole reason she had ended up liking him in the first place. Those eyes. His emerald green eyes, which said so much about him, if only you learned how to listen, and were willing to hear the answer. She had been dazzled by his eyes the moment she saw them, when she'd looked up from that Ben Smith book in that bookstore.

Harry's eyes refocused and he turned to look at her. She felt her heart speed up under his gaze, and felt a slight blush rise in her cheeks. She looked away, hoping he hadn't noticed. She couldn't let him know that she still cared for him. He couldn't know.

"Jessica." Harry paused, glanced up and down the hallway, then took a deep breath and spoke again. The note of hesitancy which had been in his voice before faded as he said, "We can't get back together Jessica."

The words, so far from what she had been expecting, shocked her. She stared stupidly at him, as she tried to process what he had just said.

Harry, mistaking her shocked silence for a hurt one, plunged forward. "It's not that I don't like you! I do! And I know you didn't really mean to break up with me before – and that it was Voldemort's fault – but that's just it – he's after me and he'll hurt anyone I care about and I just can't – "

Here Jessica recovered from her silence, finally understanding. He'd thought the situation through and come to the same conclusions she had.

"It's all right, Harry," she interrupted.

He stared at her nervously as he said, "It is? Are you sure? I don't want to upset you – "

"To be honest," she said, cutting him off again, "I had come to the same conclusion as you, but I couldn't think how I was going to break it to you."

"You did?"

"Yes. You're right, if we date, Voldemort will just try to use me to hurt you."

Harry sighed. "I was afraid you wouldn't understand and you'd be mad at me again."

Jessica shook her head. "I wouldn't do that to you, Harry. Not after what happened before."

A sound up the corridor grabbed Jessica's attention. A group of Slytherins had appeared at the far end of the hallway.

"Come on," Harry said. "I'd rather not have a nice friendly chat with the Slytherins right now." He headed down the hallway away from the approaching group of Slytherins and Jessica followed. Well, it was done. Harry knew that they couldn't get back together. She wouldn't have to worry about that any more.

And yet, as the two of them left the hallway and headed back towards the common room, she couldn't help but continue to think about it. And something occurred to her. Voldemort now knew that she loved Harry, but what he didn't know was whether or not Harry loved her. So she and Harry were right. They couldn't get back together, because once Voldemort found out about that, he'd know that Harry could be hurt through Jessica.

She sighed to herself as they re-entered the Common Room and headed back over to the table to work on home work.

_I hate my life._

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And, as promised...

**Reviewer Thanks:**

**_MooseDeEvita: _**Considering the fact that I am horrible at putting chapters up, I am just thankful you are back. You are entirely forgiven. I'm glad you think this is a good story, even if it is outdated big time by now... I hope you like this chapter.

**_Bewitched-Babe: _**Thank you! I'm really glad to know you love the story. I hope you haven't abandoned me... If you haven't, I look forward to hearing whatyou think of this chapter.

**_Trinka: _**You are absolutely right, he did say that he would tell her about it when they got back tothe castle. I realized that right after I read your review. I hope you can forgive my mistake. Let's just say he was so rattled by what he'd heard that he forgot, and Jessica didn't want to risk his wrath... Or something. I hope you can find time in your busy life to read and review for this chapter.

I know I said it before but I am so so so so so so so sorry that this has taken me so long to get out. Please don't kill me...


	19. Screaming

**A.N. **Yes, it's me again. I hope you found this wait to be significantly shorter than the other one (because it was). I should have the next chapter up soon, it's just a matter of finding the time to type it up on the computer. Reviewer thanks at the end as always.

**Disclaimer: As much as I would love to be able to claim owner ship of this world, I can't. All J. K.'s**

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**Chapter Nineteen: Screaming**

By Friday, Jessica was starting to have doubts about her project. She had found a few potions for detection of specific poisons, but nothing else. She knew the key to this project would be finding a common denominator amongst the potions, but as she stared at the various recipes she began to despair of ever finding it.

The lunch bell sounded for the second time that day, and Jessica reluctantly stood and began to gather up her things to head down to Potions. She was not looking forward to explaining to Pansy why she had so little material. As she trudged down to Potions her stomach began to rumble. She'd skipped lunch to work on her potion, so now she had to make her way down to the dungeons by herself, and she was starving. She should have gone down to the kitchens to grab something. Oh well, it was too late now.

She just barely made it to the Potions classroom on time, automatically earning her a cold glare from Professor Snape. She ignored this and headed towards her new seat next to Parkinson.

"You will have half of this class to do research in the library," Snape said, once he'd finished glaring at Jessica. "In precisely one and a half hours I will expect each and every one of you to be back in this classroom. Those who are not will stay after class so that a proper punishment may be decided. I will also check with Madame Pince to ensure that all of you go to the library. Skiving off will not be tolerated. You may leave."

Jessica stood up again, annoyed. She had a sneaking suspicion that she would be spending the next month in the library. Pansy stood also, and the two of them began the long trudge to the library.

Once they reached the library, Pansy surprised Jessica by pulling out a list of several books, and then going off to look for them. She returned and set the books down on the table, then gave Jessica an appraising look.

"So, what have you found out then?" she demanded.

"Not much," Jessica admitted grudgingly. "I found the Basilum Solution, Creati Potion and something for Nightshade detections, but I can't find any correlation between them.

"Of course you can't, you're just a Gryffindor," sneered Pansy. She them handed over an extensive list of potions which made Jessica's eyes feel like they were about to pop out of her head.

"Where did you get this?" she asked in amazement.

"There are advantages to having a Potions Master as your head of house," Pansy answered smugly.

"He wrote this for you?"

"No, but he _did_ point me towards the book which I copied the list from."

"Good job," Jessica said, her voice half grudging, half admiring. "Now, I'm going to need a recipe for each one of these." She stared at the list. There had to be at least forty potions listed on the parchment. "Are these all the detection potions that exist?"

"I'm not sure," Pansy said, her smug demeanour finally evaporating. "I'll ask Professor Snape tonight."

"Right." Jessica stared at the list a moment more, then used a severing charm to divide it evenly. "Let's try to find these. We've only got and hour and –" She checked her watch. " – fifteen minutes."

"I'll take these." Pansy snatched the top half of the list from Jessica's hands and hurried off into the bookshelves. Jessica paused a minute to check the books already on the desk, then followed Pansy.

Twenty minutes later she returned to the table, with her arms full of books. Pansy was sitting at the table, hidden by a stack of books so high that Jessica didn't see her at first.

"Get copying," Pansy ordered, without looking up from the potion she was copying. "The less of these books we have to take back to the classroom with us the better."

Jessica bristled at the bossiness of Pansy's tone, but then she took a deep breath and sat down. _Remember the truce,_ she told herself. _Once you finish the project then you can go back to hating each other. _She cleared a space on the table and pulled a piece of parchment and a quill out of her bag. She opened one of the books and began searching for the page she'd dog-eared, then, upon finding it, began copying the instructions.

Forty-five minutes, five books, six or seven hand cramps and a backache later, she checked her watch. They'd only made a small dent in the books they had to get through. She reached across the table and tapped Pansy on the arm. To her surprise, Pansy jumped, then fixed her with a glare.

"Sorry, but we'd better start getting the books down to the classroom if we don't want to be late."

"Fine." With a sigh, Pansy pointed at the pile of eight books or so she had gotten through and said, "If you put away the books we've already used, I'll go and get Madame Pince's permission to take the others out of the library."

"Deal." Jessica grabbed Pansy's stack of books and hurried off to place them back on the shelves.

By the time she had gotten all the books back into their places, Pansy had gotten all the other books up to Madame Pince's desk, where she was having a heated with discussion with the Head Librarian.

"-but we need it, we have a project in Potions!" Pansy was protesting.

"I already told you Miss Parkinson, the answer is no!" Madame Pince said stubbornly. "Now lower your voice or I'll ban you from the library!"

"What's the matter?"

"She won't let me borrow _Potions and Poisons of the 18th Century_," Pansy responded, her voice surly.

"It's a library copy and it doesn't leave the library," Madame Pince said.

"Take the other books down to the classroom." Jessica sighed. She couldn't believe she was going to do this; Pansy wouldn't even properly appreciate it… "I'll stay up here and copy the directions we need."

Pansy looked at her a moment, as if to attempt and determine if the other girl was serious. She seemed to decide that she was serious, because then she charmed the books to be weightless and hurried out of the library as though afraid Jessica might change her mind. Jessica watched her leave, then grabbed the book and hurried over to the nearest table to copy down the recipe. She took special care to ensure that Madame Pince didn't see the way she smoothed out the corner she had folded over to mark the page the recipe was on. The head librarian pitched a fit if you even breathed on her precious books incorrectly; Jessica shuddered to think of how she would react if she knew that students dog-eared pages.

It took her fifteen minutes to copy down the potion, and she knew without being told, that Snape would, at best, be very, very annoyed. She hoped he didn't kill her. It took another five minutes just to walk back down to the Potions classroom, all five of which were spent wondering how Snape was going to react. Probably by being his normal arse-hole self and taking off points. She took a deep breath, then, as quietly as possible, opened the door to the Potions classroom and, failing to see Snape, stepped confidently into the classroom.

The door slammed shut behind her and as she turned to look she saw that Snape had been standing behind the door. He fixed her with a glare and said, "Because of your lateness, Miss Banks, the entire class has been prevented from working on their projects. Twenty points from Gryffindor. You will remain after class to receive your detention. Now take your seat, or I may have to deprive the _esteemed_ Gryffindor house of yet more points."

She headed to her seat, feeling terribly annoyed, though she knew she shouldn't have been. She had _chosen_ to stay in the library and be late. She could have left the book there and come back after class, but then she ran the risk that someone else would be using it.

"What took you so long?" Pansy grumbled.

"I would have thought you'd welcome a chance not to work," Jessica said back, rolling her eyes. She dropped the parchment in front of Pansy. "I have the recipe. Now, why don't you study the recipes. If you find anything that's the same or similar, write it down. I'll work on copying the rest."

In the remaining hour or so, Jessica managed to copy down six more recipes. Her hand was aching like crazy now. _By the time I'm finished with this project, I'm going to be incapable of holding a quill,_ she thought wryly.

"Class is dismissed," Snape's voice rang out through the dungeon. Jessica glanced at the books she hadn't copied from yet. Before she could finish, Pansy grabbed ten or so and put them with her things.

"I'll take these," the Slytherin said, quickly, obviously eager to get away.

"All right," Jessica said. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Will you meet me in the library tomorrow?"

"If I'm not busy," Pansy said, her voice superior. "Unlike you, **I **have a life." She then gathered up everything and headed out of the classroom, meeting with some of the other Slytherin girls on the way out.

Jessica sighed. _I should have expected that. At least she didn't refuse to consider the idea though._

"Banks," Snape said. With yet another sigh (what was it with her and sighs lately?) she stood up and headed up to the front of the classroom. While she knew she should be apprehensive, she just didn't have it in her. Sure she was going to resent whatever her punishment happened to be, but she was already stuck with detention with him for two weeks, it certainly couldn't get very much worse.

As she reached Snape's desk, she kept her eyes on her shoes, hoping she wouldn't have to endure one of his long-winded speeches. These speeches always seemed to boil down to, "I'm punishing you because you're an annoying/impertinent/witless/juvenile dunderhead." He seemed to take particular pleasure into being able to imply you were all four of these too.

"I do not talk to the top of student's heads, Banks," Snape snapped. He waited until she looked up and met his eyes before he continued. "Another night of detention has been added for your lateness in class today."

Having expected as much, she nodded and said, "Yes sir." Then she turned around and went back to her desk to finish packing up her things.

The weekend blurred, mostly because it involved a great deal of studying in the library. Pansy helped her briefly on Saturday afternoon, but aside from that she stayed well clear of Jessica. So she was left, for the most part, to study on her own. Jessica had never been good at studying, so while it was no surprise to find her thoughts trailing off when a text got boring, it was irritating, because it made any real progress difficult.

The weekend also blurred for another reason. Snape's detentions had become normal, boring, menial labour detentions. The only part that wasn't normal was the fact that he made her drink the potion at the beginning of each one. She hated this, not just because the dratted thing tasted foul, but also because it made her feel like an errant child who could not be left alone for five minutes without doing something wrong. She understood that this was because she had **acted** like an errant child, but she also knew that she'd learned her lesson. Snape's "purging" potion had made it quite clear to her that she'd made a very stupid mistake. She just wished Snape would realize that.

She woke early on Monday morning, and immediately knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. Hermione had apparently done some research on the Occluding Potion and discovered that one of its oh-so-lovely effects just so happened to be sleeplessness. Snape's detentions meant she had no problems falling to sleep, but once she woke up in morning, that was it, she had to get up. This was, needless to say, quite annoying, because it interfered with her plans to sleep in on the weekends.

Jessica got up and checked the time; she was up about an hour before most of the girls in the dorm got up. She dressed quickly, and then, bored, headed over to the window. As she peered out she could see that a heavy fog lay over the grounds. She gritted her teeth. _Well, Care of Magical Creatures will be fun won't it? _She thought sarcastically. _Not like I was actually hoping for sun or anything…_ She knew it wouldn't be so bad to actually walk in, but still, she didn't relish the idea of her sight being impaired when dealing with whatever dangerous creature Hagrid decided to have them work with. She could only just barely make out the path the carriages took. And speaking of carriages…

A lone horseless carriage could be made up making its way up towards the castle. Jessica's mind spun as she tried to think of who it could be. As far as she knew, Draco was the only student who was on a leave right now. Could it be Draco? There was only one way to find out.

She hurried from Gryffindor tower as quickly as she could without waking anyone, then headed down to the Entrance Hall. Just as she reached the bottom of the steps to the gigantic hall one of the doors opened, and Draco came through the door, pulling his seemingly weightless trunk behind him. Jessica couldn't help a smile from breaking out on her face. Despite the fact that they hadn't been on the best of terms when he left, she realized she'd missed him.

She took a few steps forward, about to call out a greeting when another person stepped through the doorway. She realized she'd seen him before; here was the man whose features so closely resembled Draco that they could only be family. Jessica watched him, using these few seconds to take the man in. Tall, and well-built, he carried himself with the air of a person who thinks the entire world belongs to them. He wore black robes, but the style was fancier than she was used to seeing, as was the material. Black gloves covered his hands, one of which loosely held a small staff with and ornamental snake head on it. He wore his white-blonde hair down, and she could see that it was at least longer than shoulder length. She met his icy blue eyes, and a feeling of _de ja vu_ struck her, as though, she had seen him somewhere other than in that carriage with Draco.

"You must be Miss Banks," he said, and Jessica nearly froze in shock. That voice! She knew that voice. That voice had been in her nightmares, the ones with Voldemort. He was a Death Eater.

He seemed to notice her sudden wariness, for a smirk flitted across his face.

"Lucius Malfoy," he said, by way of introduction. He extended his hand towards her, and Jessica found herself approaching him and shaking it. What in the world was she doing?

_He doesn't know that you know he's a Death Eater, he can't be sure,_ her mind warned. _Don't let on that you know. He's dangerous._

He seemed to study her a moment, then said, "Draco's told me so much about you."

"Is that so?" she asked, trying to sound unconcerned. His words were innocent enough, but warning bells were going off inside her head, and she knew she would have to tread lightly.

"Oh, yes. It is so very tragic, the disappearance of your grandmother."

She visibly stiffened, and shot a look at Draco, whose face had gone curiously blank. How dare he, a Death Eater, mention the disappearance of her grandmother? She saw another smirk on the man's face and realized he'd said it just to provoke her. _Bastard, _she thought viciously, and she felt a kind of furious recklessness seize her. Treading lightly be damned, how dare he even **_talk_** to her?

"How dare you talk about my grandmother?" she hissed at him. "I know what you are and you wouldn't be fit to be the ground she walked on!"

"Temper, temper, Miss Banks," he responded, his eyes now cold. "You know, just because you have nightmares is no reason to take it out on others."

Jessica stared at him now, caught between fury and fear. "My dreams are not of your business, _Malfoy_," she said, her voice quiet. "My _life_ is none of your business. Stay out of it, Death Eater."

She heard a sharp intake of breath from Draco but she didn't care if she'd crossed the line. She turned on her heel and began to stride away.

"Your grandmother is very good at screaming," Lucius Malfoy said lazily to her departing back.

She felt herself go rigid, as though she'd just been hit with a full Body-Bind. The meaning of his words sank in and slowly she turned back to look at him.

"What?" Despite her greatest efforts, she couldn't keep the slight tremor from her voice.

Malfoy smiled. "Oh, I believe you heard me."

She wanted to leave, knew that she ought to leave, that anything he said now would just be an attempt to hurt her, but his eyes seemed to have obtained a hypnotic quality, and she found that she could neither respond, nor turn away.

"It was all she did in the beginning. She wouldn't beg, you see." Those icy blue eyes were filled with mocking as they held her gaze. "It was _days_ before we could make her beg. It was quite worth the wait though. She was almost as good at begging as she was at screaming."

A painful kind of tightness had seized her chest and Jessica had to struggle to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over.

"You bastard," she whispered, "You fucking bastard." Unable to stand any more, unable to keep the tears back, she turned away from Malfoy one last time and fled from the Entrance Hall.

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And as promised… 

**Reviewer Thanks:**

**_Litasha1987: _**A new reader! Excellent! I'm glad you liked it, you have to tell me what you thought of this chapter!

**_Bewitched-Babe: _**Thank you. I'm glad you haven't left, and I'm glad you liked it.

**_Trinka: _**Ah, glad I can keep you interested. I know what you mean about not being able to review, but I always read. No, I made up the seripharum, but I tied it to the harpy because I wanted it to look more "authentic".

**_MooseDeEvita: _**I'm glad you liked it. I haven't moved on yet, I am determined to finish this story first. But I did have major writer's block. Combine that with no time and well, need I say more?


	20. Friend or Foe

**A/N: **Well, it took me over a year, but here it is. Chapter twenty. 'Course I wouldn't be surprised to have lost all my readers by now, but anyway. For those who do read it, I hope you like it, and I shall do my utmost to turn out more soon. Much has happened since I began this story, to the point where it is no longer just slightly out of the realm of possibility but completely so. Still, I hope people like it anyway. Snape, I haven't quite figureed out what to do with. Maybe he'll end up doing something similar to what he did in the sixth book, and maybe not. I guess you'll have to find out...

**Disclaimer: ** What is there to say other than, not mine, if you want it to be please sign the petition to J.K. on JessicaOwnsHarryPotter . com. Anyway, on with the story...

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Chapter Twenty: Friend or Foe**

Jessica ran down the hallway towards Gryffindor tower, on the verge of completely breaking down. Tears fell from her eyes but she did the best to hold back her sobs. She had to get away; she had to find a way to get his words out of her thoughts. She continued down the hallway, almost missing the staircase to the common room. She didn't even really see the steps as she bounded up them. Those mocking eyes seemed to float before her and the elder Malfoy's words rang over and over again in her ears. …_your grandmother is good at screaming. It was all she did…all she did…she was almost as good at begging as she was at screaming…_

With a strangled cry of "dristig" to the portrait of the fat Lady she entered into the common room, nearly forgetting to close the portrait behind her. The common room was empty so she grabbed a pillow and threw herself into a chair by the fire and finally let herself just sob.

She'd hardly been sitting for thirty seconds before a familiar voice asked, "Jessica?"

She looked around wildly, trying to locate the source of the voice. Harry stepped out from the chair in the corner and a small, bitter laugh escaped her. The common room was not as empty as she'd thought after all. The irony of the situation was not lost on her. Her mind flashed back to when, the previous summer, Harry had tried to comfort her in the Weasley's kitchen…

She smiled miserably at him. While she was glad it was only him, she hated the fact that he always seemed to catch her crying.

"Hi, Harry," she said.

"Jessica, what's the matter?" Harry asked, concern evident in his voice.

"It's n-nothing,"she said. She didn't bother to wipe at her eyes, she was probably going to burst into tears again any second. "Just had a friendly little ch-chat with L-lucius Malfoy."

Alarm flashed in Harry's eyes and he came over and sat on the chair opposite hers. "What did he say to you?" His voice was filled with urgency.

"Just that my grandmother screams well," she said, stuck between sarcasm and tears.

Harry stared at her a moment in disbelief. "He said what?"

Now Jessica shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it." She lapsed into tears again.

"Merlin," Harry muttered under his breath. He walked over to and awkwardly pulled her into a hug. He let her cry a moment, then pulled back and grabbed her hands. "Jessica, you have to tell Dumbledore."

She shook her head fiercely. "No. He already knows Lucius is a Death Eater, my reconfirming it won't do any good."

"But that's just it," Harry insisted. "Dumbledore knows but he can't prove it. At the very least this will be proof to Dumbledore that Lucius Malfoy had something to do with your grandmother's disappearance."

Jessica sat quietly, tears still running down her cheeks as she paused a moment. Finally, in a tired voice she said, "I just want it to end, Harry. I want it to heal, but it seems every time I think I've gotten over it, it comes back to smack me in the face."

Harry said nothing, but put his arms around her. This silent confirmation that he understood served to shake Jessica from her grief and suddenly she realized that she was talking to the one person who had more of a right to be in tears than any witch or wizard. But he wasn't. He pushed on, refused to give up. Harry had lost so much more than she had, and if he could be strong then that meant she could too.

"I guess you're right," she said softly. "When can we tell Dumbledore?

If Harry was surprised by her sudden change of mind, he didn't show it, but merely let go of her as he settled onto the couch next to her chair, saying, "Well, not right away, obviously. He'll probably still be in bed."

Jessica smiled slightly. "I'd forgotten how early it was."

"Funny how talking to Death Eaters can make you forget what time it is," Harry said wryly.

She laughed. It was only a half-hearted attempt, but it made her feel better, nonetheless. "Do you think maybe we could catch him after breakfast?"

He nodded. "More than likely." He looked at her a long moment. The silence seemed to drag on between them, and finally she glanced away.

"What were you doing down here this early anyway?" She asked.

"I well, I was talking to someone," Harry's voice sounded flustered and she looked back at him.

"Who? Harry, there's no one else here."

"I was using the fire. You know, like how Floo powder works, only you just stick your head through."

She stared at him a moment, then said carefully, "No, I didn't know that."

"Ah, well, that's what I was doing." There was a slightly pinkish tinge in his cheeks, as he always had when he'd been caught doing something he didn't want to explain. It wasn't anywhere near as pronounced as one would see on Ron, but she'd dated him and she'd come to notice it. It probably slipped most everyone else's attention.

She met his eyes. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Well, it's er, I mean, I'm don't, that is, it's a bit of a, well, I'm just not supposed to talk about it," Harry stuttered, looking uncomfortable.

She smiled. "It's fine Harry, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." He let out a sigh of relief and glanced away.

Jessica looked back at the fire a moment. The flames in the grating were extremely low as it was about six thirty or so in the morning. She stared into them, musing to herself. Life was so odd. You grew used to one thing and just as you began to think you'd finally come to terms with it, things changed again. While she knew that this was normally the way life worked, part of her fought against the idea that this constant uncertainty and feeling of being pulled along in directions she didn't understand was life. Every since her entry into the wizarding world, her life had been torn to pieces. That couldn't just be fate. And she didn't believe in Fate anyway, people shaped their own lives, it's just sometimes the shape of one person's life affected another in such a powerful way that that other person knew their life would never be the same.

Voldemort and his Death Eaters however, were different. While a person who ran across them certainly knew their life would never be the same again, it was generally because there **was** no life past that point to compare. Her thoughts turned cold. Part of her had been shocked, crushed by what Lucius Malfoy had said to her. His words had been the spoken equivalent of twisting a knife that was already buried in her gut. But another, smaller, part had been tempted, sorely tempted to use those nasty curses and hexes she'd learned from Draco on him. Only two things had stopped her. One, Lucius practically exuded danger. Something about the way he carried himself, the glint in his eye, the timbre of his voice, suggested a man far more dangerous than his clothes would have led one to believe. She'd had a strong feeling that should she try anything she wouldn't have lived to tell of it. Two, word of it would have gotten back to Voldemort, and merely proven to him that she was worth his attention. His efforts to get to her probably would have increased to the point of physical threats, hexed letters and such. So she'd let the grief take over and she'd run. But she wanted nothing more at the moment, now that the initial shock had passed, to see the light leave Lucius Malfoy's eyes in the same way it had left Harry's in her nightmares.

She looked back at Harry. "Harry, if you had the chance, if you thought you could, without dying yourself, would you… kill Voldemort?" She didn't know what had made her ask the question, only that she wanted to know if she was the only one.

She could see the question had shocked him, and in all rights, it should have. Despite the fact that they both had reasons to despise Voldemort, he'd never come up much as a subject. And certainly not in the way she'd brought it up.

"I don't know," he said finally. "I mean, part of me says yes, but another part of me says no, because it's just stooping to his level. I don't want to be a murderer."

"I don't think," Jessica said softly, "that a single decent wizard, or Muggle for that matter, would consider it murder Harry." She sighed. "But you're right of course, it would just be stooping to his level." She got up and hesitantly moved to sit next to him, hoping he didn't read anything into it. But he merely moved over to give her enough space to sit. She plopped down next to him and leaned her head back against the back of the couch, closing her eyes a moment.

When she opened them Harry was looking at her. His green eyes had that look to them, the one that made her so compelled to kiss him. Without really knowing what she was doing she leaned forward, noticing as she did so that Harry was leaning in too.

_No!_ At almost the exact same time as Harry, she pulled back and looked away. Damn it all, why did this have to be so difficult? She **couldn't** do that! It wasn't safe, for either of them and they both knew it.

"Sorry," she muttered, standing up quickly. Carefully not meeting his eyes, she said, "So, when should we go see Dumbledore then?"

"Oh, er, say, maybe in forty-five minutes? He should be awake by then."

"Right, well, see you then." And still not looking at him Jessica retreated quickly to the girl's dorms.

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Forty-five minutes later on the dot the two of them stood outside the door to Dumbledore's office. Harry had known the password to the gargoyle at the bottom of the staircase, and they'd encountered no one on the way there. 

"Do you think he's awake?" Jessica muttered to Harry, looking uncertainly at the big doors leading to the Headmaster's office. "I mean, I don't want to wake him up…"

Harry, however, simply reached up and knocked on the door three times, then cautiously pushed it open.

Jessica glanced around briefly as they stepped inside. She was given the impression of a large circular room, with its walls covered in what appeared to be portraits of the previous Headmasters of Hogwarts. Placed around the room were several small tables covered in little silver instruments that _whirred_ and let out puffs of smoke. Jessica couldn't even begin to imagine their purpose. Her attention was, however dragged away from gadgets on the tables by a polite clearing of the throat. Looking in the direction of the noise she noticed Dumbledore seated at a large claw footed desk, and remembering her purpose in being here, stepped forward with Harry.

From behind his desk Dumbledore had fixed them with a slightly curious gaze, and when Jessica and Harry stepped forward he said mildly, "Hello Harry. Jessica."

"Professor, Jessica's got something she needs to tell you," Harry said, his voice carrying in it a slight undertone of urgency.

Dumbledore shifted his gaze from Harry to her, and she couldn't help feeling scrutinized. "I see. Well, then, by all means have a seat." He made a gesture towards the two chairs in front of his desk.

As they sat she tried to think of the easiest way to tell him. While she attempted to piece together the words in her head, Dumbledore said in a slightly interested voice, "What is it you have to tell me, Jessica?"

Jessica took a deep breath, then began. "Well, I woke up early this morning, really early. I've been waking up early for the past week or so, Hermione said it's the effect of the potion I'm taking, sleeplessness you know." She was vaguely aware that she was babbling but the headmaster's gaze encouraged her, so she continued without feeling overly embarrassed. "I was looking out of the tower after I got up and I noticed a carriage coming up to the school. I knew Draco Malfoy was the only student on a leave, so I went down to meet him in the entrance hall. When I got there he was just coming in, pulling his trunk behind him. I stepped forward to say hello, and then his father stepped inside behind him." In her mind's eye, she could see Lucius stepping through that doorway, scanning the room quickly, his cold eyes meeting hers. "He introduced himself to me and said that Draco had told him so much about me. I, it bothered me, to hear him say that but I pretended that I didn't care, I just said something along the lined of 'Indeed?'. Then he said that it was very tragic the disappearance of my grandmother."

"Ah," Dumbledore murmured softly, his eyes on her. "And you …?"

"I was furious, Professor. I told him that he had no right to talk about my grandmother, that I knew what he was, and he wasn't fit for my grandmother to tread on. His voice got very cold and he told me that I shouldn't take the fact that I had nightmares out on other people. I told him my dreams and my life were none of his business and that he could stay out of it. And I called him what he was, a Death Eater."

Dumbledore said nothing, merely nodded to encourage her, but his stare had intensified, making her feel almost as though she stood on a stage in the middle of a spotlight.

"I started to walk off, I didn't care if it was dangerous to turn my back to him. And then, he said…" She choked on the words, swallowed, took a deep breath and then continued in the most unemotional voice that she could muster, "he said that my grandmother was good at screaming." From the slight flash in Dumbledore's eyes, she could tell the words surprised him, though probably much less than they had her. "I turned back around and asked him what? He said that I'd heard him and that it was all she'd done in the beginning, that she wouldn't beg and it took them, days, to make her beg, but when it finally happened that she was almost as good at begging as she was at screaming. Then, I called him a, a bastard, and I ran off." Jessica let out a sigh of relief, detailing the full story seemed to have released the tension she'd been holding in.

Dumbledore looked at her a long moment, then said, "Thank you. That confirms much of what I already suspected with relation to what happened to your grandmother. Now, a few questions, if you don't mind?"

"Of course not," she said softly.

"Was there, anyone else who might have overheard this exchange between yourself and Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked. Jessica shook her head.

"No, just Draco."

"Who is about as likely to admit to having heard it as he is to volunteer to cut out his own tongue," Harry muttered in the seat beside her.

"It is true Draco is intensely loyal to his father, even though, at times, one must suspect his family life of being less than ideal," Dumbledore commented calmly. Harry merely snorted. He turned his attention back to her. "One other question. When Lucius spoke on your grandmother's screaming, what did he say? What was the exact wording that he used?"

" 'Your grandmother is good at screaming', " she repeated.

There was a pause as he considered this. His next words were chosen very carefully as he said, "Are you quite certain he did not say 'Your grandmother _was_ good at screaming'?"

"No, he said 'is'." She looked at him, slightly confused. Why did grammatical tense matter?

Harry realized it first. With a note of alarm in his voice he said, "Do you mean to say Professor that she might still be… alive?"

She gasped and looked at Dumbledore in shock, whose frown lines had deepened slightly. "It is difficult to say. You did anger him considerably. Anger is the only thing which would cause Lucius to risk such words being overheard. He may have only said it for effect."

She nodded, looking grim. "To make it worse when I finally realized what it may have meant." She looked down at her hands, which were clenched tightly in her lap. "Is there anything we can do Professor? A hearing or—"

"Unfortunately," he interrupted, "you are the only witness. Draco will deny having been there."

"What about Veritaserum?" Harry demanded.

Dumbledore shifted those blue eyes from Jessica to Harry and said, "Truth potions only work when they are unexpected. If we attempt to force Lucius into a hearing, he will make certain not only to take any and all potions that could possibly counter it, but that his son goes through the same regimen as he does." He sighed. "Besides, Cornelius Fudge had recently received several large donations from Lucius. He would fight any attempt to bring Lucius before the Wizengamot."

"Then there's nothing we can do?" She asked. She'd told Harry that it wouldn't do any good to tell Dumbledore, but once they'd entered his office she'd allowed herself to hope that maybe, just maybe…

"What you can do," Dumbledore said, with the utmost seriousness, "is learn a few hex and jinx detection spells and perform them on your mail for the next few weeks. If Lucius was angry enough to take the risk that someone might overhear what he said to you, then I suspect he is not finished." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch, which he examined a moment before returning it to his robes. "I will see what I can do, but for now, the safest course of action will be for you to be extremely careful. Breakfast is starting, so if you would like something to eat before classes, I suggest the two of you make your way to the Great Hall."

Jessica stood up, trying to hide the fact that she felt like flinging something glass at his study wall. "Thank you for listening, Professor." Her voice had gone wooden in an effort to hide her grief and frustration.

She turned away from those blue eyes and strode out the door, her entire posture emanating rudeness. Behind her she heard Harry say, "Sorry Professor. She's just—"

"I understand Harry," Dumbledore responded. "She has lost much and it frustrates her that she can do nothing about it." His voice carried down the flight of stairs after her. "I am not about to blame her for that." Was that pity she heard in his voice? Did he pity her?

She stormed out, barely giving the gargoyle at the bottom enough time to jump aside, not caring if Harry followed her or not.

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Draco did not come to breakfast that morning, nor to lunch or Potions, where Jessica and Pansy spent the better part of the class review the recipes they had copied, searching for similarities. There were a few, common base ingredients. They would have to start with those. After several arguments they agreed to start on the experimental aspect of their project the next class, provided Snape had no other hints to drop to Pansy. 

As Jessica left the Potions classroom with Harry, Ron and Hermione she noted how disconnected she felt from everything. Harry had been the one to relay the story of the Lucius encounter, not her; she didn't feel she could tell it again. It led to pitying looks from Hermione and Ron looking awkward, which only frustrated her more. She didn't **want** pity. She wanted to **do** something about it.

So, instead of making her way to Gryffindor tower with the others, she muttered something about needing a walk and strode off before anyone could argue.

Walking around the lake, various people waved to her but she took little notice of them, only occasionally waving back. While her eyes were on the blue sky, her attention stayed stuck on the elder Malfoy's mocking blue eyes. She could block out his words, but she could not rid herself of that image of his eyes, filled with such vicious mockery, knowing every word hurt and enjoying seeing it do so.

Therefore, it wasn't until she practically walked into him that she spotted Draco leaning against a tree ahead of her, as though he'd been expecting to see her there. Hesitantly, he walked up to her, and she looked away, determined not to meet his eyes.

"Hi, Jessica," he said.

"We're not talking," she said, her voice cold. Here was a way to vent her anger and frustration. And after the way he'd stood there that morning, he deserved it.

"What?" Draco said. "What did I do?"

"If you don't know then you must be stupid," she snapped.

"Is this about this morning? I didn't do anything! Stop acting like I betrayed you!"

"No, betrayal implies an action. You just stood there!" She fixed him with a glare then said, "You didn't do anything, just let him say it."

"That's because I'd prefer to have a tongue come summertime!" Draco said. "You don't know my father. You don't know what he's capable of."

"Oh, I think I do," she said. "I think he made it pretty clear just what he's capable of."

"You don't understand–" Draco started.

"There's nothing to understand!" she yelled. It was a good thing they were on the far side of the lake, otherwise this conversation would have had a dozen eavesdroppers already. "Your father helped to torture my grandmother to death! Don't try and pretend there's any more to it, because there isn't! I would have been there Draco! I would have been there that night if it weren't for Harry! Has that thought even occurred to you? Has it!"

"But you weren't there!" Draco protested. "You weren't there, so what's it matter, it's not like I can go back in the past and do anything about it!"

"You could have done something this morning!" Jessica screamed at him. "You could have stood up to him instead of just standing there like some obedient little servant!"

"I'm no one's servant," Draco said coldly.

She stared at him; met his eyes, blue, like his father's, but with enough gray to remind her that this was not Lucius. Yet, no matter how long she stared into them, she could find no shred of guilt, not one ounce of understanding.

"Oh Merlin," she whispered. "Please don't tell me you were there Draco, please."

"I wasn't there," he said, his voice still cold. "And don't call me Draco. It's Malfoy, you mudblood lover." He sneered at her. She stared at him for a moment, shocked, then furiously raised a hand to slap him. This time however, he had his wand out, and the spell words, "_Petrificus Totalus!_" flew from it faster than she could even retract her hand. All the muscles in her body froze like ice, and though she kept telling herself to move, move, she couldn't. She couldn't even move her jaw. Only her eyes could move and they didn't, staying on Malfoy's face as the momentum from her effort to slap him flung her forward. She landed painfully, surprised that her nose didn't crunch as it hit the ground. With his shoe Draco rolled her over and knelt down. In his eyes there was a hint of glee, she supposed, at finally being quicker than her.

"Father was very offended by what you said," he whispered. "So this is a warning, and the only one you'll get. You are on the wrong side, the losing side." Jessica couldn't fathom those eyes now, for Draco seemed to be at war with himself, and all she could do was stare up at him. He stood, looked around and then strode off.

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Hope you all liked this chapter, please review! **

**Reviewer Thanks:**

**_MooseDeEvita: _ ** I know, doesn't writer's block just suck. Not that I can hide behind that as an excuse. A year is just a tad too much.

**_SweetDrm-QueeN8:_** Glad you like it so much. What'd you think of this chapter?

_**Trinka: **_I know, I used the 'f' word without even warning anybody. Shame on me... Lucius was confident, but mostly, it was anger. As Dumbledore said, he's definately not finished with her. Life for Jessica is just going to keep getting interesting. One question, do you think I'm getting to cliché or repetative? Or is it ok?

**_Litasha1987: _**I'm glad you liked the last chapter. If you're still around, I hope you'll like this one. Let me know! Favorite parts, worst parts, etc are things I love to hear about from readers!

_**Magicgirl45852: **_Well, if you haven't disappeared, then tell me how you like this one!

_**sweet.filo.chik:**_ well, I don't know, Lucius Malfoy stoops pretty low at times. I wouldn't put it past him to wound with words when he couldn't use spells.


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